


Angel's Tear

by cellsinterlinked



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Sequel Trilogy
Genre: Abusive Relationships, Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Modern Fantasy, Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Alternate Universe - Road Trip, Alternate Universe - Small Town, Angels, F/M, Father-Daughter Relationship, Friends to Lovers, Gangs, Healing, Implied/Referenced Sexual Harassment, Injury, Lovers To Enemies, Mystery, Partially inspired by Far Cry 5, Pastor Luke Skywalker, Quest, Rescue, Screenplay/Script Format, Superpowers, Threats of Violence, Violence, montana
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-12-21
Updated: 2021-01-17
Packaged: 2021-03-10 22:28:45
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,024
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/28204617
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/cellsinterlinked/pseuds/cellsinterlinked
Summary: Rey feels trapped. After her mother's passing, she now lives with her pastor father in their small Montana town, where no one, not her father, her boss, or anyone else seems to understand her or the unresolved pain she still feels. She just wants out.Just as things get unbearably suffocating, she meets Ben, a handsome and kind nomadic stranger who's on the hunt for a relic from his own lineage. But Ben is no ordinary wanderer. He is a half-human, half-angel, gifted with incredible powers.Rey, having finally found her way out, takes it, and they embark on an adventure for the relic known as the Angel's Tear. But as the adventure reveals itself to be more fraught with danger than they ever imagined, Ben's love for Rey and his desire to protect her soon mutate into something darker...A modern fantasy AU written as a screenplay.
Relationships: Rey/Ben Solo | Kylo Ren
Comments: 1
Kudos: 9





	1. A Small Town Under a Big Sky

**Author's Note:**

> Special thanks to my fic partner-in-crime SakuraWindChime as per, this time for proof-reading, tag suggestions, and the really fab poster!  
> ___
> 
> TERMS
> 
> OS=Off-screen  
> CLOSE ON=Close-up  
> ANGLE ON=Just another fancy way of suggesting a close-up  
> INT=Interior  
> EXT=Exterior

****

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - DAY**

Green grass contrasts with sprawling blue skies. Within the grass, a beautiful yellow dandelion stands out, gently fluttering in the wind...

CRUSHED by a crash-landing chair, breaking into pieces. **REY** , 21, dressed in a conservative black dress and smart shoes runs to the splintered bits of chair, picks up a splintered leg and WHACKS it against the other pieces, before switching to STOMPING on them, letting out a seemingly limitless supply of pent-up anger.

CUT TO:

**INT. CHURCH - DAY**

**LUKE** , 50’s, stands above us on the altar, adjusting his white pastor’s collar as he preaches to his attentive congregation, projecting with confident, kind clarity.

 **LUKE**  
“A hot-tempered person stirs up a conflict, but the one who is patient, calms a quarrel”.

Rey sits in the crowd, forcing herself to listen.

 **LUKE** (O.S.)  
Proverbs fifteen, Chapter eighteen.

Next to her, **ENRIC** PRYDE, 60’s, wearing a casual Sunday suit, peers over to her. Looks her up and down. Rey glimpses this, and tries to ignore it.

 **LUKE** (O.S.)  
And it’s such that in our daily lives, we find things that frustrate us, make us resentful.

Enric’s hands float over to her bare knee. She quickly picks it up and moves it as she shifts away. This doesn’t faze the old man at all. He stares at the knee, his new obsession.

 **LUKE**  
But when we do that, we only add to a relentless cycle.

The hand slides up her knee again, much slower this time. She takes a deep breath and quickly elbows it off, he’s shocked but she doesn’t care.

 **LUKE** (O.S.)  
Which will only worsen the situation, rather than stop it.

His hand comes up again, this time floating over her knee, waiting. He watches her watch his hand intently. Gently he places it down on her knee. Gripping tighter.

 **LUKE** (O.S.)  
And so the duty rests to us…

Her nostrils flare.

 **LUKE**  
To break that cycle.

She SHOOTS up out of her seat and before anyone has any time to react she makes a fist and PUNCHES him right in the nose. He clutches it, YELPING in pain as blood flows out. She looks up.

Everyone is turned around, watching, gobsmacked.

But at the back, Luke watches hardest, burdened with what he just witnessed.

Her lips quiver. She turns around and storms out the double-doors of the church.

**EXT. CHURCH - DAY**

The church is simple, medium-sized, and sits overlooking a great field just behind it. Kind of secluded from the town.

She sits against the painted-white wooden walls of the church, holding her feet as she tries to control her breathing. We hear the doors open. She peers around the corner as the congregation flood out.

Some laugh, some shake their heads, others indifferent.

Then Enric hobbles out, holding tissue to his nose as other members hold him, comfort him. Luke catches up to him, appearing to grovel and apologise profusely.

Enric dismisses him with a hand wave and moves on. Luke watches and sighs. He turns, spots Rey. His anxiety turns to a death stare.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - DAY**

Rey and Luke walk up a dirt road surrounded by woodland. She hangs her head in shame as she walks alongside Luke, lecturing her. Up ahead, the road diverts into a smaller road which leads to an old house.

Silence. Then...

 **LUKE**  
I bet you weren’t even listening to me.

She has nothing to say.

 **LUKE**  
I’m trying to do a job, one I take extremely seriously if I have to remind you, and you punch an old man’s lights out!

She stops, forcing him to pay attention.

 **REY**  
He wouldn’t stop grabbing my knee!

 **LUKE**  
Then grab his knee, what do you care! You don’t throw fists.

He walks on, onto the path to the house. She’s stunned by that response.

 **REY**  
Well gee, sorry for overreacting but you seem awfully content with letting oldsters try and fiddle with your daughter!

A small, remorseful pause. He turns and raises a finger at her.

 **LUKE**  
(quiet anger)  
Don’t… don’t you talk back to me like that. Don’t you dare.

Rey, shaken, backs up, wishing she could take that back.

 **REY**  
I... You don’t understand, it’s-

 **LUKE**  
There’s nothing to understand when you demean me like this, after making a fool out of me. Who do you think you are?  
(pause)  
You’re a ticking time bomb, Rey. I don’t know what’s gotten into you.

Rey watches him, feeling a huge pang of guilt. He walks ahead up to the porch, unlocking the door.

**INT. **REY** ’S BEDROOM - DAY**

CLOSE on her sleeping eyes.

OFF-SCREEN, an alarm clock RINGS, jolts her awake. She shuts it up, sits up.

**INT. FLOWER SHOP - DAY**

Green apron, behind a counter, hair pony-tailed, wearing simple jeans and a black t-shirt. She smiles as she finishes wrapping a small bunch of geraniums. She hands it over to a thin man in a denim jacket as he hands payment to her. This is **BEN** , 27. She smiles at him, seems to enjoy his company.

 **BEN**  
Appreciate it.

He turns and leaves.

 **REY**  
Feel free to come back anytime.

He looks back to smile, almost bumping into a man in a **SUIT** on his way out, sliding past him. He is about 40. As Rey assesses the character, she focuses on his hands as he SLIDES the ring off his finger, dropping it in his pocket.

 **SUIT**  
Roses. About a dozen, please.

Without any pleasantries or acknowledgement, she gets on with her order. She glimpses him staring at her.

She finishes and hands him the bunch.

 **REY**  
That’ll be twenty dollars.

He digs in and tosses her a twenty bill, turns, leaves. She looks at the note, then up to him, swinging the door open.

 **REY**  
Hey.

He turns.

 **REY**  
(scornfully)  
Why would you want to do such a thing, if it’ll hurt both you and your wife?

He’s stunned by the audacity of the question, but also majorly caught off-guard.

 **SUIT**  
Mind your own damn business.

 **REY**  
I’m sorry that she’s not good enough.

He approaches her.

 **SUIT**  
Who do you think you are? Why don’t you just shut up and do your job, you know, why do you care?

 **HOLDO** (O.S.)  
It’s okay.

Both turn to see **HOLDO** , 49, a former hippie turned business owner. She stands in the doorway of the office area.

 **HOLDO**  
I apologise on behalf of young Rey here. You may leave and forget about this.

 **SUIT**  
Forget? No, she was being incredibly rude, and-

 **HOLDO**  
I am not on your side here.

He gets the message. Takes his bunch and leaves.

Rey looks at her.

 **REY**  
I’m sorry. But he couldn’t just-

Holdo glares at her.

 **HOLDO**  
Don’t pull another stunt like that again.

She nods, not in a position to bargain.

 **HOLDO**  
Just think of your pay check. Nothing else.

She disappears into the back office again. Rey looks away, screws her face, upset.

**INT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - EVENING**

Rey walks in, very obviously defeated.

She wanders into the kitchen, where Luke is just placing plates of meat and vegetables on the table. He looks up.

 **LUKE**  
You’ve come back quite late.

She nods. He looks, notices the negative air about her. Sits down.

 **LUKE**  
What is it?

 **REY**  
It’s a nothing thing.

 **LUKE**  
(smiling, knowing)  
Your mother used to say that.

Rey sits down, but Luke realises he probably shouldn’t have said that.

 **REY**  
Holdo and I had a little disagreement, but it’s alright now.

 **LUKE**  
Disagreement?

He leans in, a sense of urgency.

 **REY**  
I didn’t get fired.

 **LUKE**  
But you nearly did, right?  
(pause)  
Why?

She really doesn’t want to answer, but…

 **REY**  
I told a customer that his cheating on his wife was not great.

He takes a deep breath.

 **LUKE**  
Rey, you can’t…  
(stops himself, thinks)  
You can’t lose that job. You just can’t.

 **REY**  
You seem more worried about it than I am.

 **LUKE**  
Only because sometimes it seems like you don’t care about anything.

He begins to eat.

 **REY**  
(tensing up)  
I care about what that creep was doing to the people he loved, I care that he had the audacity to take his ring off in front of me, and I especially care that-

 **LUKE**  
Stop.

They both look at each other. The scorn in his eyes tells her he’s positively sick of it.

She begins to eat her food.

 **LUKE**  
Please don’t lose the job.

She nods.

**EXT. ALLEY - DAY**

Wearing her florist apron, Rey leans her head on the wall of the alley. Eyes closed. She drags her fists down the red bricks. Bring it up to drag it down again.

Opens her eyes, dusts herself off and goes through a metal door that leads into:

**INT. FLOWER SHOP - CONTINUOUS**

Slides behind the counter. Begins serving customers like normal.

INTERCUT WITH TIMELAPSE: A small flower on the corner of the counter wilts.

ON Rey, staring out the window. She can see a few buildings, cars, and roads, and the sky stretching for miles.

A split-second smile on her lips.

Wrinkled knuckles KNOCK on the counter, bursting her bubble. Enric, from church, watches her with a selfish smile, and a large plaster on his nose. She’s uncomfortable.

 **ENRIC**  
I didn’t know you worked here.

 **REY**  
(anxious)  
What… can I do for you?

 **ENRIC**  
Magnolias.  
(Beat)  
Please.

She gets on with it, begrudgingly so.

 **ENRIC**  
With a smile, if you would be so kind.

She regards him for a second, gets on.

 **ENRIC**  
Just one smile.

In her haste she drops one of the flowers, and quick replaces it.

She finishes the bunch and sets it on the counter.

 **REY**  
Fifteen dollars please.

 **ENRIC**  
No.

 **REY**  
Excuse me?

 **ENRIC**  
Not until you show me you can smile.

 **REY**  
Not in a smiling kind of mood today.

 **ENRIC**  
Well, try. For me.

Beat. Behind the counter, her fist clenches.

 **REY**  
Fifteen dollars please.

Enric sighs.

 **ENRIC**  
What good is a girl like you, if you can’t even smile?

She GRABS a full bucket of water next to her feet and LAUNCHES it straight at him, the sudden shock of it knocking him over.

She throws the empty bucket at him, climbs over the counter. Standing over him, she grabs him by the furls of his jacket, pulling him straight up to her snarling face. He doesn’t even know it’s happening. Her tense breathing slows down.

She turns around. Holdo watches, gob smacked. Rey lets go of the old man, eyes welling up with remorse.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - DAY**

Rey drags her boots across the dirt. She’s had enough.

Luke steps out onto the porch, trying to contain his anger.

 **LUKE**  
It’s barely lunch time.

She tries to brush straight past him but he blocks her. He watches her as she avoids his gaze. As the beat gets longer, her guilt sinks further in.

He shakes his head.

 **LUKE**  
I only told you yesterday not to lose your job. What did you do?

Still no answer.

 **LUKE**  
(raising his voice)  
What did you do?!

She flinches.

 **REY**  
It was Mr Pryde. He came in, and he kept asking me to smile, so…

 **LUKE**  
So you beat the shit out of him?

 **REY**  
I didn’t beat…

 **LUKE**  
Enlighten me.

Beat.

 **REY**  
I poured a bucket of water over him… and...  
(pause, she feels guilty saying it out loud)  
...then threw the bucket at him.

Luke glares at his daughter, absolutely ashamed of her.

 **LUKE**  
I don’t know what I’ve done to deserve this, but it stops now. All of it. You’ll get a new job, and you’ll stop mercilessly beating people who have done nothing wrong.

She snaps at him.

 **REY**  
For a pastor, you seem to have a generously narrow definition of what’s wrong.

That stung.

 **LUKE**  
You embarrass me. The talking back, the anger, and for what? What are you out to prove, Rey? Do you just like lashing out?

 **REY**  
What do you think?

 **LUKE**  
With you, I don’t know what to think. I don’t know what to expect, for all I know, I'm seconds away from having the lights knocked out of me.

She digs her fingers into her thigh. Tighter.

 **LUKE**  
What are you doing, Rey? What do you want?

The fire in her eyes burns bright…

And dissolves into tears. She turns and storms away. He shakes his head. She SCREAMS into the sky.

He turns around and goes back inside.

**EXT. HILL-PATH - DAY**

She toils up the beaten path of a hill.

**EXT. CLIFF EDGE - DAY**

The view from the top of the hill is a luscious mix of the town below and surrounding trees and fields. She can also see the church a bit further back.

For Rey, it’s much quieter here, she sits herself down on the edge. Below, a steep cliff. She closes her eyes, lets the wind run past her ears. In the distance, the hustle and bustle of Arbiter. Opens her eyes again.

She takes a pebble next to her. Throws it, watches as I arches across the sky, listening out for the distant HIT as it lands. She repeats this with another pebble.

She watches it land next to a small crater, rolling towards it… stopping.

She smiles. Game on. She stands andtakes another pebble, closes an eye to calculate the shot, and LAUNCHES it. It lands close, but no cigar. She squints, making all sorts of estimations in her head.

Picks up another pebble, lines it up with her squinting eye. THRUSTS it into the air. Watches it land… nowhere near.

She stomps her heel onto the ground, kicking the dirt. Giving up, she sticks her hands in her pockets and walks away.

But she sees something in the distance and stops.

Not so far, a man in a denim jacket stands on the ledge, holding up a geranium as he looks out towards the plains. He’s not moving at all.

Curious, she approaches warily. The wind picks up, blowing hair across her face. She gets close enough to recognise **BEN**. His eyes shut, almost sleepy.

Another gust of wind, and he starts to lean forward. Her eyes widen, she lunges forward and GRABS his denim jacket and YANKS him back, jolting him awake as he falls back onto her, knocking them both over.

Beat as they look into each other’s eyes.

 **REY**  
You okay?

Ben blinks. He quickly gets up, and smiles.

 **BEN**  
Sorry, I hope I didn’t hurt you.

He offers a hand. She smiles and takes it, he lifts her up.

 **REY**  
What the hell were you doing just there?

He looks over at the spot he was stood at seconds ago.

 **BEN**  
I was…  
(laughs)  
Well, I won’t be doing it again.

 **REY**  
I might not be so fast next time. That would have made it a really bad day.

 **BEN**  
Why is it a bad day at all?

 **REY**  
If only I knew where to begin.  
(beat)  
I should head back.

 **BEN**  
(shrugs)  
There’s time. Plenty of time.

 **REY**  
It’s not even worth it, honestly.

 **BEN**  
Sure it is, else it wouldn’t be a bad day.

 **REY**  
I know, but-

 **BEN**  
Please.

Pause. She takes a moment to look at him, into his eyes, kind and sincere and glowing. He smiles. Shrugs.

Her semi-fist relaxes.

LATER

Both sat on the cliff edge, Rey rants vividly.

 **REY**  
-so after he tries to fiddle me in Church, next thing is he comes into the florist I work at, and refuses to leave me alone until I smile at him like he owns me.

 **BEN**  
How’d you deal with the situation?

 **REY**  
I... threw a bucket at him.

He smirks.

 **REY**  
Not even gonna hide it. I poured it all over him and threw the empty bucket at him. I know I shouldn’t have done that...

 **BEN**  
I think I’d have done it too. It must have felt pretty satisfying.

 **REY**  
Incredibly. But now I’m out of a job. Told Dad, he wasn’t pleased. I told him this was the same guy that tried to fiddle his own daughter, but apparently that ranks lower than disrespecting the elders.

 **BEN**  
Is he a deputy?

Rey looks over at him, the dumb reality of the truth washing over her.

 **REY**  
He’s a pastor. I mean, he literally preaches about this, but old Mr Pryde has donated to the church in the past so we gotta leave him alone even if he don’t leave me alone. I’ve got to behave for his sake, stop getting so angry all the time. I’m an only child, and still the black sheep.

Ben looks away, ruminating on something.

 **BEN**  
It sounds to me… It seems like your Dad, what do they call him?

 **REY**  
Luke.

 **BEN**  
Right. It seems, he’s dictated more by his reputation than that good book. These people will listen to him, but he’s a hostage of what they think.

She nods.

 **REY**  
He’s completely happy to let people get away with stuff. There’s another creep came into my shop, asked for red roses but was cheating on his wife. Dad didn’t care.

She sighs.

 **REY**  
People just love to be despicable. You find that?

Ben thinks, it’s obvious he has more than few examples.

 **BEN**  
I travel a lot. Find it all the time.  
(Beat)  
What’s the most despicable thing you’ve seen?

She doesn’t answer. She looks down.

 **BEN**  
Sorry. You don’t have to answer, I shouldn’t have asked. I was just-

 **REY**  
My mother. Not her. But what happened to her.

 **BEN**  
When?

 **REY**  
When I was young, about, five. A man broke in with a gun. She was in the kitchen. And then...  
(sighs)  
She’s gone, and for reasons that I'll never know why. But whatever it was, it was good enough for that scumbag to take a life.

Beat. It saddens him, but he tries not show it too hard.

 **REY**  
I try to talk to Dad about it. Ask him every year. Why did he shoot her? But he never gives an answer that makes sense. Closest I got to was “I don’t know. Sometimes, people just do these things, and such is the way”. He just wants to pretend it didn’t really happen. But I know that’s bullshit. Senseless pain, it’s just that.

 **BEN**  
Senseless pain that builds up, until it just needs to escape.

She regards him. A diagnosis that she didn’t know she needed. He offers her a sorry smile.

 **BEN**  
I promise you, she’s in a better place.

 **REY**  
I’ve heard it before.

 **BEN**  
But I promise. I know she is.

She looks at him. Something about those words feels extremely comforting. She nudges up to him, holds him tightly.

**EXT. PLAINS - EVENING**

A battered purple Oldsmobile rips across barren plains.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - CONTINUOUS**

Rey holds on as Ben drives recklessly, but with confident skill. He knows his car.

 **REY**  
Where’d you find her?

 **BEN**  
In a junk yard! She looked lonely, so I serviced her myself.

He looks at her with a wry smile.

 **BEN**  
Works like a damn dream.

She laughs, his confidence is quite infectious.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - EVENING**

The car pulls up onto the dirt path leading up to the solitary house.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - CONTINUOUS**

He yanks the handbrake, and looks at her.

 **BEN**  
It’s tough. It is. But I know you can persist. I know you’re strong enough to do so.

 **REY**  
(flirty, challenging)  
How do you ‘know’ all these things?

 **BEN**  
(shrugs)  
I just do.

 **REY**  
Why are you even here in the first place, in a town like this?

 **BEN**  
It’s a strange old thing, it’s not easy to explain.

She laughs, nudging him with her fist.

 **REY**  
No, come on, tell me.

He chuckles.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

Luke creeps up to the window, peering through the curtains.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - CONTINUOUS**

**BEN**  
Alright then, alright. But. You can’t tell no-one.  
(leans in, whispers)  
Meet me by the church.

She’s incredibly curious.

 **REY**  
When?

 **BEN**  
Tomorrow. Dusk. Bring your wits.

 **REY**  
Is this a showdown?

 **BEN**  
No. Far more interesting.

 **REY**  
(confident)  
Alright.

She opens the door halfway, stops. Turns to him.

 **REY**  
Where have I seen you before?

 **BEN**  
You served me those beautiful geraniums.

 **REY**  
Of course, yeah! Tomorrow you’ll have to explain to me what you were doing with them.

 **BEN**  
Behind the church. Dusk.

She can’t hold herself from grinning.

 **REY**  
I’ll bring my wits.

She leaves. Ben watches her walk out. Pushes the handbrake down.

**INT. ANSELL HOUSE - EVENING**

Rey enters, slowly closing the door behind her. Waits. Silence.

 **REY**  
Dad?

No response. She hovers around the rooms on the ground floor. Luke is nowhere to be found.

 **REY**  
(calling out)  
Hello?

Still nothing.

She creeps up the stairs. Gently opens her bedroom door, slides in, closes it.

Opposite her bedroom door, another door opens, ajar. Luke peers through. Gently walks onto the landing. His face is sour. Leans in to listen. Nothing.

He walks back to his room, shuts the door.

**INT. **REY** ’S BEDROOM - DAY**

Bright beams of sunlight through the window.  
Rey sits up, with no urgency. Checks her clock. Noon.

CUT TO:

Now dressed in boots, jeans, and a short-sleeved green t-shirt, she slips a flannel shirt on and walks to the door. She twists and pulls the handle. It’s stuck. She pulls harder, turns the handle to no avail.

She steps back a second. Knocks.

 **REY**  
Dad? Dad are you there?

She keeps knocking. From the other side:

 **LUKE** (O.S.)  
I’m here.

 **REY**  
It’s stuck.

 **LUKE** (O.S.)  
(condescending)  
It is?

Beat. Confusion and hurt as she realises.

 **REY**  
Why is it stuck?

INTERCUT WITH:

**INT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

Luke stands, arms crossed, relaxed.

 **LUKE**  
I’m giving you a much-needed day to reflect on your priorities, instead of running out and wasting time with strange men.

 **REY**  
What?!

 **LUKE**  
I saw the car, yesterday.

 **REY**  
No, hang on, that wasn’t-

 **LUKE**  
Save it.

 **REY**  
I saved him from falling and he gave me a lift home-

 **LUKE**  
Enough excuses!

 **REY**  
(getting angrier)  
They are *not* excuses! You cannot do this to me, this is ridiculous!

 **LUKE**  
You’ll be grateful one day.

She tries to get more words out, but she can’t. She hammers her fist on the door.

 **REY**  
Let me out!

SHOULDERS the door, again. Steps back, KICKS it.

Luke shakes his head.

 **LUKE**  
Get a grip.

She lets out huge GRUNTS as she hammers on the door. She HEELS it, but the door, resilient, only bounces her back to the floor. She’s out of breath.

Luke walks down the stairs.

Rey crawls up, exhausted.

**INT. **REY** ’S BEDROOM - DAY**

She wakes up from a nap, having slept in an uncomfortable position. Looks out the window. The sky is turning orange. She shoots up, realising.

She slides her boots on and runs to the door, knocking.

 **REY**  
Dad! Dad!

**INT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - DAY**

He looks up the stairs.

 **REY** (O.S.)  
Dad, are you there?

He climbs them, stands out her room.

 **LUKE**  
I’m listening.

INTERCUT WITH:

**INT. **REY** ’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS**

Beat, she bites her lip.

 **REY**  
I just wanted to say, I’m sorry.

Luke watches the door, uncertain.

 **LUKE**  
(curious)  
Go on.

 **REY**  
I’m sorry about last night, I’m sorry I came back late. And I’m sorry I lost my job. And…  
(considers)  
I’m sorry for the way I am. I hate it. I hate how it makes me feel. I hate how it makes you feel.

Luke listens, nodding. Sincere.

 **REY**  
I’ve thought about it. I don’t like being trapped by myself. I’m done with it.

Luke swallows a lump in his throat.

 **REY**  
(softly)  
Please let me out…

She puts her ear to the door.

Luke thinks. Takes out a key from his back pocket, hovers it in front of the lock.

Retreats.

 **LUKE**  
No.

 **REY**  
What?!

 **LUKE**  
Pretending to apologise so you can meet your secret admirer, how dare you?

 **REY**  
How dare *you*, locking me in a room like a freak!

 **LUKE**  
You can stay in there for as long as you need.

 **REY**  
Oh please, if you knew my secret admirer was old man Pryde you’d have left me alone a long time ago.

His eyes widen with rage. His breathing heavy.

 **LUKE**  
(angered whisper)  
You can damn well stay in there forever for all I care.

He storms down the stairs. She HITS the door again, disappointed.

Drops her head in her hands. Sighs. Looks up, scanning the room. Opens the window, looks out.

The ground isn’t miles away, but there’s no soft way down either. She retreats back in.

Sits on her bed, biting her lips. Her hands feel the sheets. She stares down at them. Tilts her head.

CUT TO:

White linen tied around the bedpost, strained all the way out the window.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

Rey LANDS boots first onto the grass, the improvised rope of bedsheets reaching down.

She looks it up and down, laughs to herself. It’s ridiculous, but it’s worked damn well.

She jogs away.

**EXT. ARBITER - EVENING**

Rey makes her way past empty streets and shops. Just up ahead, the church.

**EXT. CHURCH - EVENING**

Ben’s face brightens up as she arrives.

 **BEN**  
Thanks for coming.

She smiles as she approaches. A little lost for words.

 **REY**  
Hey...  
(suddenly remembering)  
So... what’s happening?

 **BEN**  
Did you bring your wits?

She gives him a knowing look. He chuckles.

He reaches into his jacket, pulls out a folded page, clearly ripped from somewhere. It’s so old it’s yellowed plenty. He opens it for her to read.

The pencil writing, cursive yet jagged, reads:  
**so for my own certainty, I write here that I left it watching over a house of God, by southern Montana.**

Although difficult to read, the rest is far more unintelligible.

 **REY**  
What…

He shines an excited smile.

 **BEN**  
If I’m right, you’ll find out really soon.

He puts it away, walks behind the church.

She follows him. He hovers around the back of the church, tapping the soil with the tip of his boot. He takes a few steps, tests some more.

 **REY**  
Should I ask?

He kneels down, starts digging with his hands. She stands there.

Noticing this, he stops.

 **BEN**  
I’m searching for a treasure.

She blinks, did he just say that?

 **REY**  
Treasure?

 **BEN**  
Not gold or anything dumb like that, I'm not a pirate.

 **REY**  
Is it an ancient map?

 **BEN**  
Maybe.

 **REY**  
An old manuscript?

 **BEN**  
Could be.

 **REY**  
Is it a rare treasure or treasure to you?

He smirks, he just finds it funny.

 **BEN**  
Hell, I barely got the faintest idea of what I’m looking for, but I've been searching for years. Nearly gave up, until I came across this one page by a miracle. So now, I'm digging.

 **REY**  
You must have an idea what it is you’re looking for else you wouldn’t go looking for it.

He nods.

 **BEN**  
I know what I’m looking for, just don’t know if it’s real yet.

 **REY**  
Why you digging then?

 **BEN**  
Gotta start somewhere.

She looks at him. Kneels down, helps him with the digging.

He gazes at her. She catches him, they look away. She gazes up at him, he looks, she looks away, up. Ben smiles.

 **BEN**  
Enjoying yourself?

 **REY**  
(teasing)  
You said this would be better than a showdown.

 **BEN**  
If it’s here it will be.

 **REY**  
How do we know it’s in the ground?

 **BEN**  
We don’t, but it’s a touch more likely than...

They stop and think.

 **REY**  
Did the paper say ‘watching over’ a house of God?

They think for a second, and before he can even say anything, she’s already gotten up and taken off.

 **BEN**  
Rey?

**INT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS**

She runs inside and through the church, to the back. She pushes open a door that leads into a spiral staircase.

**EXT. CHURCH - CONTINUOUS**

She reaches the bell tower. Looks over the balcony down at Ben.

 **BEN**  
What are you playing at?

 **REY**  
Hang on.

She begins to feel around, pressing against the surfaces, the floor, the panels. Nothing.

She even peers into the bell. Reaches into it. No luck. Sighs.

 **REY**  
I thought whatever our writer hid, he might have been a bit more creative.

 **BEN**  
You’d think.

He looks over his shoulder at the sun.

 **BEN**  
May as well make most of the view, with a sunset like that.

She stares at the sun, creeping below the horizon. A real sight to behold.

 **REY**  
I’m gonna get a better view.

She steps off the platform onto the tiled roof. Just a tad steep, but not a huge problem for her as she slowly plants her feet across the tiles. Maintaining her balance.

She stops, veers a little bit, leaning on the roof.

She takes a few careful steps, leans, falls harder, plants her arms down onto the tiles, hard enough that she hears clay audibly shifting on clay.

She looks across the roof. Further on, a tile has come dislodged. She glares at it. Ben gets closer to her.

 **BEN**  
You alright up there?

 **REY**  
Yeah…

She makes her way across the roof, cautiously leaning on the tiles, keeping focussed on her target.

 **BEN**  
Wait!

She stops.

 **BEN**  
Come back down. If it’s not up there it’s not up there.

She thinks about it for a second. Keeps edging along.

Ben holds his breath.

 **BEN**  
Honestly, it’s not an issue.

She reaches the dislodged tile, grabs it. Struggles as she pulls it out.

 **REY**  
Watch it.

She chucks it down below.

 **BEN**  
Rey, I just have a bad feeling, be careful.

She lowers herself so she can reach her hand in. Rummages about.

 **BEN**  
Rey…

KNOCK. She’s found something. She tries to pull it out, but it’s not easy to get a hold. She eventually manages to pull it out just enough for her to see: it’s a small chest. She grabs it with one hand, tries to yank it out, but it’s a little stuck.

She takes a second to balance herself and holds it firmly with two hands, starts to shift it out slowly.

 **BEN**  
What is that?

 **REY**  
I think… it’s what… you’ve been looking fo-

YANKS it out so hard she falls backwards, the chest topples over the roof onto the ground below, she slips off but GRABS the edge of the roof just in time, dangling off.

 **REY**  
Shit!

She freezes, Ben steps back.

 **BEN**  
Rey!

He glances at the clock tower.

 **BEN**  
Hold on tight!

He runs into the church. She tries to hoist herself up, but only goes so far, dislodging the tile just a bit.

She tries again, putting her feet against the wall, slips and nearly drops, dislodging the tile further.

 **REY**  
No, no…

Ben arrives out onto the roof, cautiously making his way along to Rey. He creeps down the roof a bit, holds his hand out.

 **BEN**  
Slowly now...

Spying her chance, she psyches herself up. 3,2,1…

She PULLS herself up, lunges for his hand and MISSES, the tile slips as does she, both falling down.

She lands with an audible CRUNCH in her leg, hitting her head, she SHRIEKS in pain. Ben is horrified.

Her screaming soon subsides as her vision fades, her speech becomes slurred. Ben sighs.

He drops off the roof, LANDING perfectly on both feet. Kneels down in front of her. Softly places one hand on her forehead. Another hand on her leg.

He closes his eyes. Despite his worry, his breath his pretty steady, deep in focus.

Rey losing consciousness. He focuses more.

Her eyes open. She lies still, staring at the sky. Sits up, feels her head, her leg, her body. Her eyes dart around.

 **REY**  
What just happened?

She rushes up to her feet, feeling her body all around, double, triple-checking. She begins to fret.

 **BEN**  
(hesitant)  
Rey, listen-

 **REY**  
What happened? What happened?!

He GRABS her by the shoulders.

 **BEN**  
Rey!

She stops panicking. They look into each other’s eyes.

 **BEN**  
It’s okay. It’s okay…

Her breathing slows down to a calmer rate. She analyses his eyes. Ordinary, human. And still…

 **REY**  
Are you of this world?

Ben looks at the ground. A moment of silence. It was a question he wanted to avoid.

 **BEN**  
I am…and am not.

 **REY**  
Where do you come from?

He’s about to give an answer, but stops himself. Sighs.

 **BEN**  
I... I’m not used to telling people.

He walks over to the small chest that fell. It’s kept shut by a padlock. Wraps his hand around it, YANKS it off like nothing. He lifts open the lid. Takes a deep breath. Everything feels real now.

He digs in. Delicately pulls out a thick, blue, weathered journal. Disregards the chest. Rey watches him slowly undo the strap and open the pages, as careful as if he was holding a baby.

As he flicks through the pages, he is just in awe, shaking his head, unsure whether to smile or to cry.

He hands the journal over to Rey, she reaches out.

 **BEN**  
Be gentle with it.

She nods, takes it. Flicks through it.

The inside cover reads: *THIS JOURNAL BELONGS TO QUI-GON JINN*. She turns the pages.

 **BEN**  
Qui-Gon Jinn was a man who wanted to explore. So he went on a journey.

A few diary entries etched in pencil.

 **BEN** (O.S.)  
He recorded his discoveries, theories, and other findings here.

Over the pages, well-drawn sketches of skies, plains, houses, valleys, drawings of maps, arrows and routes noted all over.

 **REY**  
What was he looking for?

All of this, combined amongst Polaroids and personal notes. It’s incredibly comprehensive, obsessively so.

 **BEN**  
A stone. A rare one.

She turns the page to a sketch of a stone, oddly shaped like a tear.

 **BEN** (O.S.)  
The Angel’s Tear. Rumoured for so long to contain the pure divine power of an angel.

Rey scans the sketch, bewitched.

 **BEN**  
He traversed the whole country, listened to old tales from every tribe so he could follow leads. But he never found it.

She turns a page, revealing missing, ripped pages.

She looks up at him, eyes shining in wonder.

 **REY**  
Is it real?

He nods.

 **REY**  
How are you certain?

 **BEN**  
Because my mother made it.

The realisation sets in for Rey.

 **REY**  
You’re an Angel?

 **BEN**  
My father was human. I never met either. Then one day, this...  
(he points at the diary)  
It came to me in a dream. It was something I always knew was there, something that would explain why I was different, but I never knew what it was. Until that dream. And I’ve been looking ever since.

 **REY**  
You want to be complete.

 **BEN**  
It’s my destiny. It’s...

Tears begin to roll down his cheeks. She notices immediately. She goes for a hug, wrapping her arms around him.

He does the same with her.

**EXT. DIRT-ROAD - NIGHT**

The Oldsmobile crawls like a Lion stalking prey. Stops. A way ahead, Rey's house.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - CONTINUOUS**

Both leaning in, scrutinising the house. Joseph’s bedroom light is turned on.

 **REY**  
He won’t have noticed.

 **BEN**  
You sure about that?

 **REY**  
If he did…

 **BEN**  
Gotcha.

Both relax, lean back.

 **BEN**  
I’m surprised, to be honest. About your reaction.

She looks at him.

 **REY**  
What did you expect, did you want me to faint?

 **BEN**  
I kind of expected… Well, I don’t know what I expected. It’s the first time I've told anyone.

Beat. She smiles.

 **REY**  
I always knew Angels existed. And so I knew it would only be a matter of time until I met one. I just can’t believe how quick that’s come.

He smiles at her.

 **BEN**  
I’m so glad I could trust you.

She leans in for a hug. Beat.

 **REY**  
Will I see you again?

 **BEN**  
I’ll come back.

 **REY**  
Soon?

 **BEN**  
Very soon.

They hold each other’s hand. The moment passes quietly.

Slowly, they kiss.

They let go. She eases the door open, stretching the moment. Gets out, shuts it.

He watches her walk away, waving. He sighs. He’s a bit more emotional than he expected. Holds it at bay.

She disappears behind the house. He sheds a tear.

HOLD on Ben.

He double-blinks, leans in, now paying attention. Rey comes back around the front, hand covering her mouth in fear. Ben squints, analysing the situation.

She approaches the front door, Luke BURSTS out, waving his arms around as he furiously shouts something at her, she retreats, holding her arms up to shield herself as he gets right in her face. Ben is appalled.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

He JUMPS out, SPRINTS over to the scene.

 **BEN**  
Leave her alone!

Luke turns his attention to the stranger, looking him up and down.

 **LUKE**  
What in the Lord’s name…

 **BEN**  
In the lord’s name is right, you get back in that there house and leave your daughter alone!

Luke stares in amazement.

 **LUKE**  
You just told me to leave ‘my daughter’, ‘alone’. My daughter.

Ben nods. He’s not scared.

 **LUKE**  
You’re telling me what to do with my daughter.

 **BEN**  
That’s right.

Luke looks over at Rey, who was not expecting any of those. She feels put on the spot. He looks back at Ben.

 **LUKE**  
I know who you are.  
(vicious)  
You’re the punk my daughter’s been offering herself to.

Everyone remains quiet. But Rey stops shaking. What did he just say?

 **LUKE**  
I have something to say to you, little man. I don’t know what she’s let you do to her, but when you stand outside MY porch, you don’t tell me how to treat MY daughter.

She slides her hand behind her leg, clenching it into a fist.

 **LUKE**  
So please pardon me if I seem a bit harsh and tell you to get the fuck away from me, and stay the fuck away from my daughter, you disgraceful piece of-

She briskly brushes past him, he interrupts himself as he watches her. She walks in.

Perplexed, he runs in.

**INT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

She runs up the stairs. Luke enters.

 **LUKE**  
Rey?

Goes up the stairs.

**INT. REY’S BEDROOM - CONTINUOUS**

She digs up a suitcase out from her wardrobe, plonks it open on the bed. She yanks open her drawers, throws in shirts, skirts, etc. ...

Luke comes in, sees her doing this. He realises what the situation is.

He takes the suitcase and throws it across the room, clothes flying everywhere. Ignoring this, she picks the case up, putting it back on the bed, picking up her clothes.

 **LUKE**  
You’re going nowhere.

She’s still packing. He takes the case and THROWS it right at the wall with a forced GROAN.

 **LUKE**  
Nowhere!

She stops, looks right at him. The power of her eyes arrests him, throws him off. She brushes right past him again, leaving her belongings.

**INT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

She stomps down the stairs, with unshakeable certainty. He follows her, almost flailing, and SNATCHES her arm, she glares back. He’s lost for words, a little breathless.

 **LUKE**  
I’m sorry.

Her demeanour doesn’t shake.

 **LUKE**  
Please don’t leave. I… need you.

 **REY**  
(direct)  
You do?

 **LUKE**  
Yes! Yes, I do. There’s no-one else to look after me. There’s…  
(hesitant, but says it)  
There’s no-one to bring money in, while I tend to my flock.

Her lips quiver, she breathes through her nostrils.

 **REY**  
That’s why you wanted me to keep my job? That’s it?

He doesn’t say or do anything, but he doesn’t deny it either.

 **REY**  
You’ve hardly ever looked after anyone.

She takes her arm back, storms out.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

Ben waits outside for her. He opens his arms. She falls into them, holding him back. She’s ready to explode.

He caresses her hair.

 **BEN**  
(whispering)  
Let’s go.

She nods. They walk away.

Luke runs out.

 **LUKE**  
(incredibly desperate)  
I’m sorry! I’m sorry, please! You can’t leave me! I can’t do this, please!

She locks her hand into Ben’s as she looks straight ahead with a steely gaze.

 **LUKE**  
You can’t… you can’t…

He falls to the floor, clutches the grass. He begins to cry, sobbing and shaking.

 **LUKE**  
You can’t…

FADE OUT

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, Part 2: Wild Land


	2. Part 2: Wild Land

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As Rey and Ben venture out into the Montana badlands and begin their search for the Angel’s Tear, they soon discover that others are on the hunt for it as well.

FADE INTO:

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

Rey's sleeping, peaceful face, resting against the headrest. She wakes up, greeted by BEAUTIFUL green scenery, MOUNTAINS in the back, big blue SKY, all scrolling past.

She turns to Ben, drinking a beer from a glass bottle.

**BEN**  
Good morning, sunshine.

**REY**  
Is that...?

**BEN**  
Don’t worry, never quite goes down with me. 

**REY**  
So you’ve never been drunk?

He shakes his head.

**BEN**  
I’m an angel both literally and figuratively, whether I like it or not.

She smiles, and glances the bottle. She takes it from his hand, downs a swig. He smiles.

She looks out at the scenery, zooming past her. At the birds flying in the open blue sky. Turns to the dashboard, leans in, feels it.

**BEN**  
Nice car, right?

She leans back.

**REY**  
Never thought I’d actually leave that place.

He listens.

**REY**  
That house, old and rickety… It was like a little prison, long before dad locked me in.

**BEN**  
He did what?

**REY**  
He did. He locked me in my room.

**BEN**  
...why?

**REY**  
Because he doesn’t want me to hang out with guys.

**BEN**  
What’s he afraid of?

Beat. She screws her eyes as she thinks.

**REY**  
I don’t know…

She has another sip.

**BEN**  
I can’t believe he did that. That ain’t right.

She looks out again.

**REY**  
Where’s the journal?

**BEN**  
Back.

She reaches over, takes it. Opens it up. Flicks through the pages, over the maps, sketches, entries. To the ripped pages, big gaps in the author’s narrative. She scans them.

**REY**  
Hand me the page.

**BEN**  
Page?

**REY**  
With the clue, the church clue.

He does, she unfolds it. Lines it up with the rips of the missing pages, it doesn’t fit. She scrolls a few pages ahead past other writings. All the way to the back, where a page is missing. Lines it up. It fits perfectly.

**REY**  
This is Qui-Gon’s last entry!  
(realising)  
His last entry…

**BEN**  
You’re having at me.  
(looks over)  
Oh damn.

She scans across the pages. One of the sketches is of a house, sat next to a thin river. It’s skilfully drawn. Rey watches it, curious.

Turns the page. A Polaroid of the same house, drowned in sunlight. She smiles. Turns a page. It’s a formation of lines and squares, almost looking like abstract art. It’s strange, but she likes it.

**REY**  
What do you think it looks like?

He glances.

**BEN**  
Like he suddenly forgot how to draw. What is that?

He points at two parallel twisty-turning lines.

**REY**  
A giant snake.

**BEN**  
Or a lazy way to draw a river.

She laughs, looks at it. Focuses. She holds the book up, turning it about.

**REY**  
Stop a second.

He pulls over.

**EXT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

Rey stands in the middle of the road with the journal. Looks at the road ahead. Runs her finger along a dotted line in the drawing. Next to it, parallel lines.

She looks over. A running river. Back at the drawing, the lines matching the turns of the river. Up ahead next to the lines, a square. She flips back to the Polaroid of the house. Turned to the same degree as the square.

She runs back to the car, Ben leaning on it.

**BEN**  
What do you figure?

**REY**  
I figure I know where we’re going next.

They both jump in, excited.

**EXT. QUI-GON’S HOUSE — DAY**

The Oldsmobile rolls down a dirt road next to a river, and stops. Rey and Ben get out and take a few steps towards it, unsure of what to make of what they’re seeing.

Qui-Gon’s house, just as it appeared in the Polaroid, but now weathered, gathered dust, long forgotten. Broken windows. Depressing.

They look at each other. Unsure. 

Ben holds his hand towards her. She takes it.

They head inside.

**INT. QUI-GON’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

Into a kitchen area. Like a normal country house, but grey with dust. Eerie. Flecks dance in the rays of sun which shine through the window.

They move into a living room. Just as grey, plaster coming off the walls. Rey goes to the back, examines a wall-wide bookshelf. Books on biology, geography, local history and classic literature, Poe, Hardy, Etc..

Ben begins to discreetly snoop around, lifting up vases, looking under chairs.

Rey spots a door next to the bookshelf. Opens it, so old it CREAKS loudly.

Her eyes widen, concerned. A study area, as suggested by the bits of broken desk and books strewn about. This room matches the exterior of the house in how dilapidated it is.

She kneels down, picks up a book, titled: NATURE AND TRUTH: A BRIEF HISTORY OF DIVINE ENTITIES AMONG US.

She looks up. The myriad of other books lying around have a similar theme. But amongst them all, Rey spots a photo frame, facing down. She picks it up, careful not to cut herself on broken glass.

Self-portrait photo of a beaming father, between his mother and daughter. Happy American family.

Rey brings the photo closer, examining it. The father’s eyes are as big as his smile, but a bit too much. Rey closes her eyes and puts it back down.

Ben enters.

**BEN**  
This is quite a number.  
(beat)  
Found anything?

**REY**  
This place gives me the creeps.

Ben throws aside bits of desk, finds one of the drawers, slides it out, scatters through it.

**BEN**  
Reckon this could take a while.

She stands up, looks around. Broad daylight doesn’t change the unsettling implications of this place, it bears hard on her.

**REY**  
I’ll go wait outside.

**BEN**  
Can stay if you want, like I said this might take a while, so-

He looks at her. She’s clearly uneasy.

**BEN**  
I’ll be outside in fifteen, tops.

She nods, and promptly leaves.

**EXT. QUI-GON’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

She exits, shutting the door behind her, sitting on the porch. Taking a second, breathing. Beat. Looks up.

An old family sedan sits parked next to the Oldsmobile, its doors still open. It wasn’t there before. 

She gets up and warily approaches the car.

She’s PUSHED and falls onto the patchy grass, she turns. 

FOUR large MEN stand over her, an eclectic mix of red-neck waste-head gang-bangers. One of them, in a black cap and biker jacket with tassels, kneels down. This is **DJ**.

**DJ**  
Where?

Rey looks between them, confused.

**DJ**  
Where are they?

**REY**  
W-w-where’s what, what?

Eyes trained on the girl, DJ uses a finger to indicate to one of the men, who pulls a revolver out his pants and points it right at her.

**DJ**  
Shall we try again?

**REY**  
Just say what you want!

DJ indicates again, the gunman kneels down, points it inches from her forehead.

**DJ**  
If a bitch acts dumb, a bitch is useless.

She grows angry.

**REY**  
What?

**DJ**  
Dumb and deaf bitch I said-

She SNATCHES the revolver, pointing to all of them, they back away. 

**DJ**  
Woah, slow down now...

She shuffles away, gets up.

**REY**  
Back off!

**DJ** smiles. She keeps it pointed it at him.

**REY**  
Smile when I blow your nuts off.

**DJ**  
I’ll smile when you blow, that’s for sure.

He laughs at his own joke, the other bandits are unsure if this is an appropriate time to laugh. She snarls, taking a step forward.

**REY**  
Get down.

He nods.

**DJ**  
Now we’re talking.

**REY**  
D-do it!

**DJ** leers at her.

INSERT: Ben, searching through papers, finds something. Ripped pages. A victory smile.

Rey pulls the hammer back.

**REY**  
You want to die?

**DJ** chuckles. Then he laughs out loud. Keeps laughing. The other bandits give him weird looks.

**DJ**  
Boys…  
(composes himself)  
She’s cute.

She approaches him, gun trained right at his face. In a motion he’s practised a thousand times, he lunges forward, she SHOOTS and misses, he grabs her arm, pulls her, takes the gun as she falls past him to the ground.

INSERT: Ben, hearing the shot, turns, alarmed.

**DJ**  
Boot her up.

The bandits grab her, she kicks and flails but together they take her to the boot and throw her in, slamming it SHUT.

Ben SHOULDERS through the door.

**BEN**  
Stop!

The sedan takes off up the dirt road. He chases after it. He’s damn fast. Catching up.

**INT. SEDAN - CONTINUOUS**

The bandits look back at Ben, catching up. Worried.

**BANDIT #1**  
Boss, we got a crazy on our tail!

**DJ**  
Crazy indeed, but crafty’s faster than crazy.

**DJ** STEPS on it, speeding up.

**EXT. QUI-GON’S HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

The car speeds away. Ben still running, but it’s futile.

Chin quivering.

**BEN**  
(whispering)  
Rey…

**INT. BOOT - DAY**

Dark, shaking. Rey panics, trying to breath.

She pushes her arms against the wall to stop bumping about. KICKS out, and again. She keeps kicking, kicking. Harder and harder. The door is sturdy, jammed shut.

The car slows to a stop, she ceases, waiting, listening out.

The door flings open, BLINDING daylight floods in, she shields her eyes. Recovers and looks out.

A bandit stands over her, grabs her and throws her down.

**EXT. FOREST - CONTINUOUS**

She gets up, looks about. Tall Douglas-Fir trees, as far as the eye can see.

She’s surrounded by the bandits, a few brandishing guns. **DJ** emerges. Indicates to his men to follow.

One grabs her and drags her up, she shoulders him away, he recovers and pulls his revolver on her. She stops, scowling at him.

They follow **DJ** into a tattered WALL TENT.

**INT. WALL TENT - CONTINUOUS**

A lantern hangs from the top, over a large plastic table, surrounded by lawn chairs. A large map on the table.

**DJ** gets comfy, grins. A bandit sits her down. He indicates for them to go, they nod, leave.

**REY**  
(keeping composed)  
They’re awful quiet.

**DJ**  
They know when they’re allowed to talk. Hoping you’ll get into the habit real soon.

She says nothing. He laughs.

**DJ**  
That’s real funny, I like that.

He leans in.

**DJ**  
But we can stop playing now. So…  
(beat)  
What do you know?

**REY**  
I. Don’t. Know. What-

**DJ**  
Save it. Do you think we’re just dumb hicks who rolled up to any old house? Do you think we don’t know whose former residency we were going to ransack?

**REY**  
You mean..

**DJ**  
We’re looking for the fuck-king stone, yes, exactly.

**REY**  
How’d you know that’s Mr Jinn’s house?

He leans back out, relaxing, unthreatened by her. Smirks.

**DJ**  
Kid… Mr Jinn isn’t some old legend from last century. He only passed about twenty-odd years ago, you know? There are people alive today who know him personally. Hell, even I bumped into him once, back when I was a lot nicer-looking.

He chuckles.

**DJ**  
The point is you see, word gets around. He’s looking for some stone. But it’s a powerful stone.

His eyes light up.

**DJ**  
Contains the power of an angel, they say.  
(He leans in)  
So we’re on a hunt. And we’re going to get that stone, with or without your help. So, now that we’re clear, allow me: What do you know, about the stone?

Rey's silence is contemptuous. DJ flares his nostrils, nods.

**DJ**  
No, I get it. It’d be dumb to just ask. Gotta earn it. That’s the American way.

He gets up. Slowly, he saunters his way towards her. She stays calm, but her heart is beating fast. 

He reaches into his boot. SLIDES out a Bowie knife, holds it tight in front of her, employing it as a symbol of force and fear.

**DJ**  
I know I don’t need to ask again.

Her breathing becomes heavier. A bead of sweat rolls down.

He leans the knife forward, closer to her neck. But still she is quiet. A few tears begin to stream down.

**DJ**  
What are you doing, kid? Who are you being a hero for? The stone’s not worth it, you know?

**REY**  
Well, what’s it to you?

He smiles his crooked smile.

**DJ**  
I could ask you the same thing. What does a little girl want with some stone?

**REY**  
It’s not me. My friend wants it.

**DJ**  
Your friend’s got some ideas. He thinks he can handle it?

Rey raises her head. He leans in, his tone now a slight more hushed.

**DJ**  
Let me tell you a thing.  
(pause)  
Mr Jinn was a happy man, had it all. A house, a family. And he heard about this stone from somewhere, a folk tale that goes about, just in this here state. He ignores it. He thinks on it.

Holding onto the handle, DJ sticks the knife into the table. Rey keeps her eyes locked on him.

**DJ**  
He thinks about it a bit more. He thinks about it so much he loses his job, and there’s no bread in the house. He obsesses about it so much his beautiful wife and daughter leave him. But it don’t matter, he thinks. He gets his life savings, goes on a little expedition. This expedition costs him the last ten years of his life. He went insane, his brain turns to mush. Banging his head on a wall every day for ten years would have been infinitely better for his sanity than this dumb stone. The best part is, he’d come no closer to finding it than when he started.

She looks at him. He doesn’t say anything else.

**REY**  
You’ve made that up.

**DJ**  
Is that what you think?  
(pause)  
Up to you. You can walk away, or...

She freezes. Looks between him and the knife. Beat.

**DJ**  
I can see it. Those cogs in your head, spinning, spinning.

The blade drifts in front of her. She looks at him.

**REY**  
Yes.

He stops. Taken aback.

**DJ**  
What?

**REY**  
You asked if my friend knows what he’s getting himself into. The answer is yes.

**DJ**  
Kid, you’re really getting on my nerves now. Why don’t you just-

**REY**  
The question is, can you handle what your got yourselves into?

Beat. He screws his face, and pulls the knife out, ready to use it on her.

BANG, a gunshot flies outside, both turn. BANG again.   
He turns to her.

**DJ**  
Ignore that, look at me.

She does. Knife pointed at her.

**DJ**  
Kid, I couldn’t be making this choice any easier.

Her hands grab the edge of the table.   
More GUNSHOTS. Both listening out.

PUNCHES hit, BULLETS fly. Someone SCREAMS in pain. A struggle, and it sounds like more people losing than winning.

**REY**  
(realising, smiling)  
Oh shit…

He glares at her. Beat. She stands up, PUNCHES him in the jaw, he step backs, she FLIPS the table right at him, knocking him over. She goes to punch him as he’s down, but he SWINGS the knife at her...

SLASHING right across her stomach.

**REY**  
Argh!

She looks down at the noticeable wound, growing more and more red across her clothes. She falls back, clutching the wound. 

DJ gets up, juggling the knife between his hands, approaching her.

**DJ**  
Choice was all yours, kid.

He GOES for the final stab, she struggles and ROLLS out the way, his knife gets jammed in the ground, she reaches up and SOCKS him in the jaw, he lets go, she grabs the handle, he lunges for another jab, she extracts it from the ground and SLASHES right across his face, knocking him back in agony.

With all the strength left in her, she climbs onto him and STABS him in the shoulder. STABS him again. PUSHES it. Leaves it in.

She crawls off and away. Her eyes roll back. She collapses.

A few seconds of stillness.

Ben rushes in, desperately looking about. Sees her.

**BEN**  
Rey!

He rushes to her.

**EXT. HIGHWAY - DAY**

The Oldsmobile RUSHES past us, tires burning down the asphalt.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - CONTINUOUS**

Ben is driving by adrenaline alone, sweating.   
Rey is not okay, barely awake, clutching her stomach, faint.

**REY**  
Heal me…

He glances at her, but drives ahead.

**REY**  
Where… please.

He looks ahead, heavy breath. STEPS on the brake.

**EXT. HIGHWAY - CONTINUOUS**

DRIFTING off the road onto the gravel. Ben gets out, runs to lift Rey out, places her on the ground.

Lifts up her slashed shirt to reveal the BLOODY MESS underneath.

If it wasn’t for the tiredness from blood loss, she’d be screaming right now, but instead she can just barely murmur her discomfort.

He places both shaking hands on her. Closes his eyes. He’s trying to focus.

Opens them again, he’s horrified. She’s not healed.

**BEN**  
Rey...

Looks at his hands, back at Rey. He clenches them into fists. 

Eyes shut tight, he screams up at the sky. 

He unclenches them, takes a deep breath, and places both hands down again on the wound. He closes his eyes. Extremely nervous, shaking, gritted teeth. Tenses his arms. 

Opens his eyes.

Rey lies still. We hear the gentle breeze.

He looks at her, resting his hands on his knees. His chin wobbles. A few tears stream out.

Her eyes flutter open. She sees him.

**REY**  
(mumbling)  
Where are we?

She sits herself up. Ben grins, the biggest victory of his life. She looks down at her bloody red shirt. Lifts it up.

No wound, no blood. Looks up at him. A small, uncertain smile. She let’s out an incredulous laugh that sounds like a cry.

He lunges ahead, HUGGING her, she hugs back. He squeezes just a little tighter.

**INT. RIVER BANK - EVENING**

On a streaming river, tinted in the glow of sunset.   
GUNSHOT, A small splash as a bullet WHIZZES through the water.

Rey takes aim with a handgun, an eye closed. FIRES again. Ben sits on the hood of the car, watching her. She’s enjoying this a lot.

**REY**  
Where’d you find this?

**BEN**  
Took it from one of the chumps back there.

She SHOOTS again. He gets off the hood, approaches her. She takes aim again, he places a hand on it, lowers it.

She looks up at him. 

They kiss.

She leans in for a hug. He wraps his arms around her.

**REY**  
Thanks for saving me for the third time.

**BEN**  
(puzzled)  
It was just twice.

**REY**  
I couldn’t have run away without you.

He places his hand on her head.

He leans back, faces her.

**BEN**  
Rey…

Looks at him.

**BEN**  
Please… just, be more careful.

She nods.

**BEN**  
This isn’t some joke. I mean it.

She notices something isn’t right with him. She leans back a bit. 

**REY**  
What’s wrong?

Beat. He’s thinking of how to say it.

**BEN**  
When I healed you today, something went… wrong. It didn’t work the first time. The world stopped, for a very long, painfully long second. And I thought, that’s it. Over. And for the first time in, I don’t know how long, I felt lost.  
(beat)  
Scared.

She holds his face, itself beginning to shake with the force of the memory alone.

**REY**  
I promise.

He looks at her.

CUT TO:

The Oldsmobile skids off the gravel onto the road.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - CONTINUOUS**

The sun drops further behind the mountains. Ambient music plays from the radio.

Just behind the gear stick, their hands, locked.

**EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT**

The Oldsmobile turns off the road, behind a large billboard.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - NIGHT**

Lying back together in the back seat under a large throw. Rey shuffles about. Ben looks over.

**BEN**  
Comfy?

She scoots over, leans her head on his shoulder.

**REY**  
Yeah.

Beat. Serene. Ben looks over, her eyes are wide open, focussed.

**BEN**  
What is it?

**REY**  
When I close my eyes tonight, I'll open them again tomorrow.

**BEN**  
(puzzled)  
Sleeping ain’t that much of a mystery.

**REY**  
I’m not talking about sleep.

He leans back, she sits up.

**BEN**  
Rey?

**REY**  
I’m sorry.

**BEN**  
No it’s okay, I get it.

**REY**  
I should have died today.

**BEN**  
Don’t say that.

**REY**  
No no, I mean… You shouldn’t have been able to heal me. Yet, you just happen to be the one who can. And you happened to be with me.  
(beat)  
I mean, it’s strange how lucky I was. Am.

Ben looks at her, solemn.

**BEN**  
It’s not strange. It’s wonderful.

He’s getting a bit emotional. Rey sees this, puts a hand on his cheek.

**BEN**  
We need to find the Angel’s Tear.

**REY**  
No, don’t think about it, just-

**BEN**  
We need to. It has the power I need.  
(beat)  
If anything else happens to you… If something happens, and I can’t save you…

She holds him before he can finish.

**REY**  
That’s not anything to worry about.

Moments hang in the air.

**BEN**  
Do you regret coming?

She smiles.

**REY**  
You idiot.

A chuckle. She rests his hand on his leg.

**REY**  
I don’t even want to think about what it would be like, back over there.

She grabs his trousers, tighter. Sensing this, he kisses her. She kisses back. Climbs onto him. She removes her t-shirt, he takes off his jacket. She creeps her hand under his white t-shirt.

They look into each other. Smile. Heavy breathing. She’s shaking.

**BEN**  
(whispering)  
Have you done this before?

She shakes her head.

**BEN**  
(whispering)  
Alright. It’s alright.

They kiss.

FADE INTO:

**EXT. HIGHWAY - NIGHT**

A lizard crawls across the grass. Stops. Looks about. Speeds ahead.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

Rey slides her t-shirt back on. She cuddles up next to him. Both smile.

**BEN**  
Are you okay?

**REY**  
Yeah…

**BEN**  
Are you sure?

Nods.

**REY**  
Thank you.  
(beat)  
Have you done it often?

**BEN**  
Only…three times.

**REY**  
(laughing)  
You’re playing with me.

**BEN**  
No, no, no playing. Kinda just went off it.

**REY**  
I didn’t get that impression.

**BEN**  
That’s because it’s with you.

She kisses him. He comes in and hugs her. A moment passes.

Very soon, they’re both snoring.

INSERT: Sun rising over horizon.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

Ben looks up at the big blue sky. Looks to his shoulder, Rey sleeping serenely on it.

Gently, he sits up, placing her head against the headrest. Takes his t-shirt from the floor, slides it on.

**EXT. PLAINS - DAY**

He’s been walking for a while, the car about half a mile away.

Stops. He looks at his hands. Examines them. Clenches them. Feels them.

He glances up. In the distance, a deer nuzzles a dead doe.

He watches the sight. He can’t look away.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

On sleeping REY.

OFF-SCREEN sound of TAPPING on the window. She wakes up, faces the noise. She GASPS, FLINCHES.

The barrel of a large revolver pointed straight at her. The gunman, bandaged, plastered, stitched up, looking like shit but his crooked grin still painfully recognisable: DJ.

Beat. In the corner of her eye, she glances the handgun on the passenger seat. LUNGES for it, DJ FIRES a warning shot right over her, through one window and out another, she freezes.

**DJ**  
Outside.

He pulls the door open. Indicates with his revolver for her to get out. Slowly, she does.

He glances inside the car again. Peeking out under the passenger seat, a blue journal.

**DJ**  
What’s that? That in there?

She says nothing. He sticks the revolver right onto her forehead.

**DJ**  
Get it.

She edges over to the door, opens it, takes the journal out. He snatches it. Opens it up frantically. Grins, laughs.

**DJ**  
Perfect. Per-fect!

Throws it to the ground.

**DJ**  
Now…

He lifts up her t-shirt slightly, sticking the cold barrel right on her flesh.

His disgusting face in hers. Beat.

**DJ**  
You did this to me…

Her fear is intense.

He smiles. He lets the barrel graze over her stomach. Stretches the moment. She shakes. Quivers.

He laughs.

**DJ**  
I’m going to make you wait as long as I want.

A tear rolls down. He LICKS it right up.

**DJ**  
Alright. Alright. Are you ready?

She shakes her head.

**DJ**  
Are you ready? Are you ready?!

A piercing SCREAM, DJ confronts the sound, Ben SPRINTS at breakneck speeds towards him, DJ backs away, shooting, bullets RIPPING right through Ben like paper.

Nothing stops him. He TACKLES DJ to the ground, Rey dives away, screaming. Ben and DJ scuffle on the floor, Ben takes a few solid jabs, he counters one punch and PUMMELS RIGHT BACK with enough force to knock the teeth out of him and send him flying. Ben pounces onto the downed bandit and keeps pummelling, pounding him, punching his face as if he was nothing but meat.

Until there’s nothing left of it.

Rey, bracing herself as if she were in a war zone, looks up. Ben stays there, straddled over him. Catching his breath. She gets up, goes over to him.

**BEN**  
Stay away.

Confused, worried by the statement.

**BEN**  
Get in the car! Don’t look!

She does, no hesitation. She clutches her head.

Ben looks at his bloody knuckles. Behind them, the remnants of DJ’s face. He gets up, wipes the blood on his shirt. Gets in the car. 

The car starts, and takes off, skidding, before speeding down the road. Away from the bloody remains. 

DJ’s hand lies there. Cold. Still.

FADE OUT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, Part 3: Closing Walls


	3. Part 3: Closing Walls

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After nearly losing Rey, Ben is unable to control his emotions. Rey’s resolve is tested as Ben’s desperation takes hold.

FADE IN.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

Dull clouds over a straight road. The steady HUM of the engine. Rey looks ahead. She pivots her head a fraction, trying not to get caught glancing by Ben.

Ben looks straight ahead, his mouth hanging open, almost bored-like.

Rey reaches behind, grabs the journal. Doesn’t open it. Examines it.

**REY**  
Why did he want it so badly?

**BEN**  
(monotone)  
Want what?

**REY**  
…the stone?

He turns to her. Looks back at the road. 

She retreats into her seat, folds her arms.

He turns the wheel, pulls over to the side. 

Handbrake. He leans his head on the window.

She leans in, trying to glimpse his face. She puts her hand on his knee.

**BEN**  
I don’t regret it.

She isn’t sure what the appropriate reaction might be.

He screws his face. Angry. He PUSHES the door out the way as he scrambles out. Rey gets out, follows.

**EXT. ROAD - CONTINUOUS**

He kicks the dust like a fighter kicks a beat-down body. Then he stops, realising the futility of it all. 

He sits himself down on the dust, dropping his head into his hands. Deep in anguish.

**BEN**  
It was for you, all of it.

**REY**  
What was?

**BEN**  
DJ.

**REY**  
He’s... gone. Don’t worry about it, please.

**BEN**  
I do! I did it because it was the right thing, because you can’t reason with some fuckhead like that. I don’t regret killing him one… one bit.

His face, panicked, says otherwise.

**BEN**  
It was either him or you, Rey. It was…

He can’t think of any more words. She sits down, wrapping her arms around him. He looks away. She leans on his shoulder. A moment.

**REY**  
Thank you.  
(beat)  
I… love you.

HOLD on them.

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - EVENING**

Getting darker. Rey looks out the window. Peers over to Ben. He still seems distracted. She can’t get a read on him.

She looks out. A memory of **DJ** ’s bloody remains FLASHES, she flinches.

**BEN**  
Rey?

She blinks herself back to reality.

**REY**  
Yeah.

**BEN**  
What’s up?

**REY**  
...Nothing. Just got a chill is all.

**EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT**

The car slides into a parking spot of a motel which has seen better days.

**INT. MOTEL ROOM - NIGHT**

Rey, pushing the door open, creeps in. She search for a light switch on the wall. Her hand stops on one and flicks the light on. They look around. It’s small, with strange stains on the carpet and wall. TV with a cracked screen. He sighs. It’ll do.

She lies down on the double bed, he hangs his jacket up. He looks around. Checks the drawers, takes out a Gideon Bible. He sits himself at the end of the bed, flicking to a page and reading it.

Rey sits up, focussed on him.

**REY**  
Hey…

**BEN**  
(still reading, cold)  
Hey.

**REY**  
I don’t know how to ask this…

He looks over his shoulder.

**REY**  
Was there…

He throws the book on the ground, giving her his full attention.

**REY**  
…no other way?

He lets the question hang in the air a moment.

**BEN**  
How do you mean?

Should she go further?

**REY**  
…DJ.

No reaction whatsoever. She waits, uncertain. His eyes are cold.

**BEN**  
What would you have done?

**REY**  
I… I'm not sure.  
(beat)  
I was just asking.

**BEN**  
It’s not on your shoulders.

**REY**  
You said you did it for me.

**BEN**  
I said I did it, for you, in self-defence.

**REY**  
Ben. Did we kill someone?

**BEN**  
You didn’t.

**REY**  
Did you kill him for no reason?

Taken aback.

**BEN**  
For no reason, what do you *think*, did you want to die?

**REY**  
NO!

A loud statement that shrouds the room in silence. Ben looks away, ashamed. Stands up. Goes into the bathroom.

Rey takes a deep breath. We hear water flowing in the sink, splashes. Water turns off. He comes back in.

**BEN**  
I’m sorry I asked that. It was... unkind. 

**REY**  
I didn’t mean to raise my voice.

He nods.

**BEN**  
For the record. I don’t think there was any other way.

**REY**  
Why not?

**BEN**  
Because if he wasn’t stopped there and then, he would have just come back. And then again after that, and again, and so on, and so such. And if he nearly got you once, and nearly got you twice… There’s only so many times a man can nearly get you. As I ran towards him, I knew he was shooting, the bullets going right through me. But I only thought of every single worst case scenario. And then, I thought only of preventing all of them.

He hugs her tightly.

**BEN**  
Do you understand?

Resting her chin on his shoulder, she’s blank. Except for the only words she can muster:

**REY**  
Thank you.

A small smile. Beat. She closes her eyes, relaxing, embracing him.

CUT TO:

A single lamp dimly illuminates the room.

Both naked, him on top of her, slow. Eyes locked with the other’s, heavy breathing. She smiles, pulls his head towards and kisses him, lips bound together for an extended moment.

He begins to go faster. She groans, throws her head back. He kisses her neck. She clinches the bed-sheet.

He goes faster, much faster. She flinches. He doesn’t stop.

**REY**  
(whispering)  
Ben… slow…

He keeps going, she’s clinching the bedsheets but not in pleasure. He puts her hands on his shoulders.

**REY**  
Ben, slow down, please…

It lands on deaf ears, the outside world doesn’t exist as he keeps forcefully focussed on her.

**REY**  
Stop…STOP!

In a flash, she pushes him off. A moment of shock, like he’s just woken up from his daze.

**BEN**  
Rey...

**REY**  
(quiet)  
What the hell?

**BEN**  
…What the hell what?

**REY**  
Why did you do that?

**BEN**  
Do what?

**REY**  
You… you weren’t stopping.

He just looks at her. Shrugs.

**BEN**  
It’s what you wanted.

Speechless.

**REY**  
I didn’t.

**BEN**  
I could feel you enjoying it.

**REY**  
You could-

She gives up. Turns and lies down.

Ben leans forward, caresses her. She doesn’t move.

**BEN**  
(detached)  
I’m sorry.

He switches the lamp off, gets under the sheets. Rey, eyes wide open, clutches her pillow.

CUT TO:

The ceiling, as lights of a PASSING TRAIN flicker and dance from one side to the other.

Rey watches the flickering lights, still very awake. Outside, the train GLIDES away.

She turns over her shoulder. Ben sleeps like a log, mouth agape, snoring.

CUT TO:

**EXT. MOTEL - NIGHT**

Rey, clothed up, peeks out the door, slowly leaves and closes it. She makes her way down the stairs and into a phone booth in a corner of the parking lot. Likely untouched for months, possibly years.

**I/E. PHONE BOOTH - CONTINUOUS**

Shuts the door, reaches into her pocket, pulls out change. One by one, she slots them into the payphone. Lifts the receiver to her ear. Dials a number, stops, blinks. Silently counting. Resumes.

Dial tone. She waits.

**INT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS**

Ben slowly turns over, gets comfy. His eyes flicker open.

**I/E. PHONE BOOTH - CONTINUOUS**

She still waits. Fidgets with the button of her flannel shirt.

On the other end, signs of life.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Who is this?

A small smile, she shakes. Words hang in her open mouth but don’t come out.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Who calls at three in the morning? Hello?

She swallows.

**REY**  
I’m… I'm scared.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
What? Who is this?  
(beat)  
Is this a prank?

**REY**  
I…

She glances up, freezing.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Hello?

On the motel balcony, Ben leans on the rail, staring with sniper-precise eyes.

She gasps, backs up onto the glass.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Who is that?

He goes down the stairs.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Rey? Rey, is it you?

Ben marches towards the phone booth.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Where are you?

He approaches, then opens the door, a very precise calmness about him.

**LUKE** (PHONE)  
Look, I’m sorry about everything, please, please come back.

He glances at the receiver. Slowly puts his hand around it, Rey doesn’t resist as he takes it, hangs it back up.

**BEN**  
Come back inside.

**REY**  
Can I… have a second?

**BEN**  
No.

He puts his hand on her back and guides her out of the booth. Her steps are slow, wanting to resist.

**INT. MOTEL ROOM - CONTINUOUS**

The bedside lamp is on. She walks in, sits on the bed, closed body, hands on her knees, head down. Ben twists the lock on the door, Rey pricks up at the sound of it.

He stands in front of her. Both looking at each other, but he’s as still as a statue, except for the up and down of his breath.

**BEN**  
Your father?

**REY**  
Why did you come outside?

**BEN**  
Why did you call your father?

**REY**  
Why are you being like this?

**BEN**  
What are you hiding?

**REY**  
Nothing.

**BEN**  
(raising voice)  
Then why did you go call your father in the middle of the night?

She resists a response. Turns around, lies down in her bed, throws the sheets over herself.

He sits down on his bed, exhales slowly.

**BEN**  
(softly)  
I’m sorry.

CLOSE on Rey, eyes closed, but as a statement rather than trying to sleep.

Ben clenches his jaw.

The lamp flickers. Flickers more, harsher. The wall lamps, switched off, BLOW OUT, Rey sits up against the wall.

Ben sits on his bed, still, staring silently. The screen on the small TV in the corner cracks further, BURSTS out, shards flying everywhere, the lamp still flickers, Ben stares at it, Rey jumps out of the bed against the wall, Ben squints, the lamp glows brighter until the bulb EXPLODES, Rey dives to the floor, bracing herself.

Ben stands up.

**BEN**  
WHY did you call your father?

Rey jumps up, grabs a pitchy chair from the corner, holds it up as a threat, ready to throw it.

Ben YANKS it, THROWS it against the wall, leaving a dent and broken bits of chair.

She LUNGES forward, pushes him, he holds her wrists, she tries to take them back but his hold is unshakeable.

**BEN**  
I know you can’t go on all night.

**REY**  
Let…go!

As she struggles, she catches his intense gaze, and she slowly gives up, trying to catch her breath.

**REY**  
Why are you doing this?

**BEN**  
I won’t repeat the question.

**REY**  
(snarling)  
You won’t?

He knows her game, and he doesn’t repeat it.

**REY**  
Something’s happened to you…

She shakes her head.

**REY**  
I don’t know what happened but you... you’ve changed.

Ben’s steely face betrays no reaction.

**BEN**  
I know.  
(leans in)  
Behind the wheel of that old piece of junk, I've had a lot of time to think. About me, about what I want. And it’s you. It’s completely you.

He takes her hand.

**BEN**  
And now that I have you, I can never let go. I refuse to make that mistake. So tell me, why did you call your father?

**REY**  
…I want to go back.

**BEN**  
(caressing her face)  
Back? Back home? Sweetheart, ‘home’ is not a safe place.

**REY**  
I want-

**BEN**  
How old are you?

**REY**  
(perplexed)  
T-twenty-one?

**BEN**  
You’re too young to know what you want. But I, I have seen the world. I have seen it’s treachery. I can keep you safe, I have the power to do so.

**REY**  
But the other day-

**BEN**  
The other day is exactly why I *need* to protect you, because you can’t protect yourself.

She furrows her brows.

**REY**  
Fuck you.

Ben groans.

**BEN**  
You just don’t get it do you, you just don’t fucking GET it!

He PUNCHES a hole in the wall, right next to her head, she jumps, screams.

**BEN**  
I’m sorry, I just… I don’t know how to help you understand how important you are to me.

He tightens her grip on her hand, she tries to slide it away but of course, there’s no point.

**BEN**  
But I have you, and you have me… and I'm not ever letting go.

He slides his arms around her like tentacles for a hug. Her breath becomes heavy, her eyes dirt around, well up.

**BEN**  
Is that clear?

With no other option, she nods.

CUT TO:

**INT. OLDSMOBILE - DAY**

On **REY** , asleep with her head back, huge bags under her eyes.

The car hits a bump that jolts her awake. She glances about, Ben looks back at her.

**BEN**  
Stay up. We’ve got work to do.

She watches her hands. Pinches herself. Again. She dumps her head in her hands, exhausted.

**REY**  
What time is it?

**BEN**  
We’re nearly here.

**REY**  
Where-

She looks ahead. In the middle of nowhere, they approach a small white house surrounded by various animal pens. A farm. Idyllic.

**EXT. FARM HOUSE - CONTINUOUS**

Ben parks up, gets out.

**BEN**  
Stay here.

**REY**  
Where are we?

**BEN**  
I won’t be long.

**REY**  
Tell me why we’re here.

**BEN**  
I'm going to talk to someone.

**REY**  
(growing frustrated)  
Who?! Who is it, why? Why aren’t you telling me anything?

**BEN**  
I won't be a minute.

He reaches in, takes the journal from the glove compartment, and shuts the door. She watches him stride up to the door of the house, behind a mesh. Knocks.

The door opens, and an old hermit, old man **OBI-WAN** , dressed in a beige shirt tucked into his jeans approaches the mesh which he leaves closed. They talk. Rey leans in.

Ben raises the journal, showing it to him. He opens it and flicks through the pages Obi-Wan stares at it in awe, and fear. He opens the mesh, Ben hands it to him, Obi-Wan flicks through the pages eagerly.

Rey blinks, staving off the tiredness.

He shakes his head, appearing to say ‘No’. He talks more as he thrusts the journal back in Ben’s hands, waving him away. Ben appears to plead, but Obi-Wan just shuts the mesh again, closing the door too.

Ben, frustrated, stomps on the ground. Rey pulls the door handle and gets out.

As she strolls up, Ben faces her.

**BEN**  
I told you to stay in the car!

**REY**  
I think we should leave.

**BEN**  
Why?

**REY**  
Because he clearly wants us to.

He chuckles, shakes his head.

He knocks again.

**REY**  
Ben...

Ben knocks again. She turns, ready to walk away but he snatches her hand.

**BEN**  
Wait.

A moment.

The door creeps open, Obi-Wan is seen through the mesh.

**OBI-WAN**  
Leave me alone.

**BEN**  
Right away, just, you know, point us over in the right direction and we’ll be over on our way.

**OBI-WAN**  
You don’t get it, do you?

**BEN**  
What’s there not to get?

**OBI-WAN**  
I’m not trying to be difficult, I’m trying to help you. Turn around. Go home. Save yourselves.

Rey is paying attention, wary.

**REY**  
Save ourselves from what?

**BEN**  
(condescending)  
Look, we’re just passing through, we’ll be fine if-

**OBI-WAN**  
You know damn well he put it back for a reason!

Ben squints, taken aback, offended. Rey observes this reaction.

**BEN**  
Beg your pardon?

**OBI-WAN**  
He put it back, and it’ll be left alone, just like you two will leave it alone, and leave me ALONE!

He SLAMS the door shut, the ultimate full stop. Ben’s mind is somewhere else, going through a highway of emotions.

**REY**  
Let’s listen to him.

Ben looks up at the door. He approaches it and HAMMERS it with his fist.

**BEN**  
We’re not done yet.

**REY**  
Ben-

**BEN**  
(shouting)  
I am not leaving!  
(calmer)  
I’m not giving up on my birthright now!

Obi-Wan opens the door and kicks the mesh open, greeting Ben with a double-barrelled shotgun, Rey steps back, Ben glances it, almost ignoring it.

**OBI-WAN**  
Heed my warning.

**BEN**  
Tell me where he put it, old man.

**OBI-WAN**  
It’s none of your business.

**BEN**  
Oh you have NO idea.

**OBI-WAN**  
Listen to me! I don’t know where he found it, but when he did, his whole damn life withered away! The stone, it, it did something to him. It broke him. So he hid it somewhere where it would never end up in anyone’s hands, least of all the wrong ones. One of the last things he said to me was that it was... cursed.

Ben smiles. He raises his hand, a white energy flowing around it.

**BEN**  
It won’t curse me, old man...

Obi-Wan observes the hand, recognising the inhuman energy around it.

**OBI-WAN**  
What are you?

**BEN**  
I am the child of the sone...

Rey sees him clench his fist…

**BEN**  
And I want my birthright back!

He PUNCHES the gun out of Obi-Wan’s hands as it BLASTS a shot into the sky, Ben follows with another hook into Obi-Wan’s face, knocking him back, bleeding from his mouth and nose.

Ben stands over him, wrapping his arms around his neck.

**BEN**  
The stone. Where is the stone?

Ben’s voice hosts a demonic fury we haven’t seen before. His fingers tighten.

**OBI-WAN**  
(croaking)  
You... don’t... deserve it...

**REY**  
Stop it!

Horrified, she rushes to Ben, getting ready to tackle him, Ben stands up, grabs her shirt and THROWS her back a great distance, she rolls around in pain.

He gets back to his task, Obi-Wan attempts to fight back, jabbing him directly in the nose but it’s barely a graze for him. Ben's hands move up to his head, he curls his fingers around Obi-Wan’s skull. Rey stands herself up, clutching her head.

Ben smiles through demented eyes.

**BEN**  
(whispering, condescending)  
I’m sorry you didn’t want to help.

We hear bones CRUNCH as his fingers get tighter. Rey SCREAMS. Ben stands up.

She turns and sprints away to the car, trips up, scuffles up and jumps into the car, struggling to start it.

He turns, watching as she finally starts the car and turns it around.

He walks over nonchalantly to the shotgun, picks it up. Checks the barrels, both loaded.

Rey tries to speed away under panic. Ben raises the shotgun, takes time to line up the shot.

FIRES a blast that takes out the rear left wheel, the car SPINS out of control, but Rey recovers enough to get the car driving straight again. 

Once more, he raises the gun, FIRES off another shot that takes out the other rear wheel, bringing the car to a standstill. He chucks the shotgun away, walks to the car.

Rey, head ducked down behind the wheel, slowly looks up, frozen in fear. She scrambles to unlock the door, looks up. 

Ben looms over her. Disappointed.

**BEN**  
You don’t understand. We'll be free soon.

She KICKS the door open, but Ben lunges in, places a hand on her forehead.

CUT TO BLACK.

FADE INTO:

**INT. CAVE - DAY**

A white hole surrounded by blackness.

The light adjusts, revealing the hole in a tall dark rock ceiling. Beyond, a cloud drifts past, revealing blue sky.

Rey lies asleep on a floor of sand. She wakes up. 

She stares up at the hole, blankly. She looks around. Remains calm. Stands up. She’s uncertain.

**REY**  
Hello?

It echoes. The cave is roomy and tall, but not massive.

She feels the walls, patting them down. Knocking a few times.

**REY**  
Hello??

A moment passes.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
You’re awake.

She steps back.

**REY**  
Ben?

She listens out for the source of his voice, but the echo makes it difficult.

In the struggling light, she makes out a natural rock arch-way, and underneath it, a large boulder, appearing to block a pathway.

**REY**  
Did you do this?

She rushes to the crevices, tries to climb up. Spots shards of light beyond.

**REY**  
Let me out!

**BEN** (O.S.)  
You hurt me, Rey. You have no idea how much I've given you, invested in you, but you want to hurt me like this!

**REY**  
THIS is hurting me.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
This is complete safety. Safety from the people out there who really will hurt you. Including yourself.

**REY**  
I don’t want to hurt myself, I just- please let me out!

Echoes. Long silence.

**REY**  
Ben?

**BEN** (O.S.)  
When the time is right.

**REY**  
Right? When- what do you mean? When I do what right? Why are you DOING this to me?!

She HEELS the boulder, attempts to push it, shift it out the way as she leans her shoulder on it. It’s completely hopeless.

She falls onto the floor and punches the sand, THROWS it, GROWLING in anger.

CUT TO:

Lying on the floor looking up at the hole of light, having exhausted herself.

**REY**  
Are you still there?

The echo dissipates.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
I’ll never leave you. Never.

**REY**  
Am I ready yet?

**BEN** (O.S.)  
No.

She clutches the sand. A tear rolls down.

CUT TO:

Relentlessly POUNDING the sand again.  
As she gets tired, the pummelling slows, to a stall.

Exhausted, she takes deep breaths.

CUT TO:

Napping on her folded arms. A small snake slithers in the sand. Scouts for prey. Rey's eyes flick open, spying the snake. Slowly unfolds her arms.

She LUNGES for it, her hand diving across the small dunes to snatch it. She looks at her hand. Nothing.

Brushes the sand away, searching. Nothing.

CUT TO:

The white circle of light in the ceiling fades into blackness. The beam of sunlight turns into a faded beam of moonlight.

Rey shakes, freezing, curled up in a ball.

FOOTSTEPS on the sand. She looks up. Sits up, stares into the darkness opposite her. Squints.

Luke steps forward, still shrouded in darkness. Rey struggling against the release of anxiety, smiles for the first time in a long time. She gets up and hobbles over to her father.

**REY**  
Dad…

He smiles, a wholesome, welcoming smile. Holds his arms out. She opens her arms, ready to fall into his.

She falls into the sand. Looks up, around. No-one. Nothing.

Silence. She clenches her fists again, clenches her jaw… but she releases both under a flood of tears.

A pair of boots approach her. She looks up at them. Ben’s boots. Furious, she lunges forward with a fist, throwing a punch that hits nothing but air. She looks up. Nothing. Gives up. Falls to the sand.

Falls asleep.

**INT. CAVE - DAY**

Sun beams through the hole in the ceiling.

A stone in the sand. Rey picks it up. Sitting against the wall, she drags the stone down against it, letting the sound of the slow RUMBLE flow around the room. She repeats this, over and over, because there’s nothing else to do.

Eyes fixed on the stone, dragging down, dragging down. She stops. Brings it closer, examines it. Looks up at the hole, back to the stone.

She drops it, gets up and walks to the boulder blocking the entrance of the cave.

Approaches it, stealthily. Listens out. KNOCKS against the boulder, the minuscule sound amplified.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
What is it?

**REY**  
I’ve been thinking about us. About when we go together, to find something. To find our truth. And I’ve been wondering about what will happen to me.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
What do you think will happen?

**REY**  
I think about my end. My death. What will you do?

Silence.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
You won’t die, not anytime soon.

**REY**  
Because you’ll be able to save me right? Just like that?

**BEN** (O.S.)  
If my powers don’t work, there’s nothing I can do about that.

**REY**  
(suggestive)  
Are you sure?

She listens out for a response that isn’t there.

**BEN** (O.S.)  
I’ll be back soon.

Panic.

**REY**  
What?!

**BEN** (O.S.)  
I need to find the Angel’s Tear before it’s too late.

**REY**  
You can’t just leave me here!

**BEN** (O.S.)  
I have to, it’s the only way!

**REY**  
What do I eat, what do I drink?

**BEN** (O.S.)  
Figure it out.

We hear his heavy footsteps fade away.

**REY**  
Anyone could get in!

Footsteps come back.

**REY**  
The hole in the ceiling!

A moment of silence.

The boulder slowly begins to shift. It ROLLS out the way, revealing Ben, dishevelled and growing a shadow, pushing the boulder with his own strength.

Rey steps out. His eyes are wide but undeniably empty.

**BEN**  
We can’t waste time.

**EXT. FIELD - DAY**

Both walking through a large field, he holds her hand tightly, leading the way.

**REY**  
I thought you would have fixed the car.

**BEN**  
No point after you ruined it.

**REY**  
YOU shot it!

**BEN**  
Wouldn’t needed to if you didn’t try to escape.

Stops, faces her.

**BEN**  
And let me add something to be damn clear. I love you with all my might, and will not let you be your own worst enemy. If you try and escape again, you’ll be forcing me to do far worse than stick you in some cave.

Beat. She watches his stare, his devious seriousness. She nods.

They walk on.

**INT. CONVENIENCE STORE - DAY**

Rey ogles all the candy that she’s desperate to eat. In the background, Ben grabs two bottle of beer, takes them to the CLERK, 40’s.

The Clerk spies Rey picking up a candy bar, holding it.

**CLERK**  
You want it, come pay for it.

Ben snaps, GRABS the clerk’s shirt.

**BEN**  
You really shouldn’t talk to her like that.

The clerk frowns.

**CLERK**  
Fuck outta here, get off me.

The clerk pushes him off, Ben grabs him again. Rey, knowing where this is headed, edges towards the exit.

**BEN**  
Apologise to her.

**REY**  
He doesn’t have to.

He faces her.

**BEN**  
And you, keep your mouth shut instead of letting this fucker shit all over you.

She steps right up to him.

**REY**  
I choose when people apologise to me.

Ben lets go of the clerk, THRUSTS his hand around her neck.

**BEN**  
I will not allow you to fucking disrespect yourself like this.

The clerk, wide panic eyes, reaches below the counter.

**BEN**  
I will not!

The clerk comes back up, pointing a rifle right at him. With incredible reflexes, Ben lets go of Rey, SNATCHES the rifle, SNAPS it across his knee, and PUNCHES the clerk straight in the chest, sending him flying against shelves of cigarettes and alcohol, before collapsing to the floor.

Ben looks over at him. The clerk writhes on the floor in pain, clutching his chest as blood seeps out.

**BEN**  
(cold)  
Could have gone worse, my man.

He takes the two beer bottles he was going to buy. Stops, looks at them. Looks at the special liquors shelf. Casually drops the beers, take a large bottle of whiskey.

Stares right at Rey.

**BEN**  
What will I do with you?

He leads the way, taking her hand, pulling her with, as she glimpses the clerk falling limp.

**INT. CLIFF EDGE - DAY**

A beautiful view of a green valley, mountains covered in trees, marred only by the sudden downpour.

Ben kneels down, takes off his jacket and holds it over himself as shelter. He takes the journal out of his back pocket, opens it up, looks for a specific page.

Rey, keeping herself awake, barely observes what he’s doing. Cold and wet.

LOUD HORNS jolt her awake, she turns to see a cargo train RUSHING past a lumber mill. She adjusts her eyes, truly noticing the whole system of stops and tracks and lights.

**BEN**  
Pay attention.  
(she does)  
Our stone is in there.

**REY**  
Says what?

He gives her a steely stare.

**BEN**  
Says me.

He slips the journal in his back pocket, pulls out a foldable map, opens it up.

She looks back at the train station. A HORN blasts out, as to her discreet delight, another cargo train arrives, this time slowing down, stopping.

Workers come and unload cargo. She notices, one of the well cars is empty.

**BEN**  
At the end of the valley, we just need to climb over Hawks Mountain, it should be somewhere near there.

The TRAIN DRIVER, wearing a boiler suit, sits back, eating a sandwich, relaxed. She keeps an eye on him.

**BEN**  
The end of the valley is no more than ten miles away.

She glances the journal, hanging out his back pocket. Glances back at the Train driver, who peers in the mirror side mirror, puts his sandwich down, and pulls a few levers.

Ben stands up, puts the map away, sliding his coat back on.

**BEN**  
No time like the present to get moving.

The train HISSES as it starts to move, Rey looks between Ben and the train. He starts to step down the hill, a little steep.

**BEN**  
(indicating)  
Don’t lag.

He selects his next step carefully. Rey's breath speeds up as she glances his feet, precariously holding their grip.

She LUNGES forward, grabs the journal from his back pocket, he spins around, before he can speak she PUSHES him as he topples down the steep, rocky hill. Before he’s halfway to the bottom, she runs away.

She SPRINTS to the train as it builds up speed. She catches up to the empty well car, but it’s not getting any closer. She pushes herself, catches onto it, lifts herself up.

The train goes faster as she tries to lift herself into the car. She pulls harder, and falls in, hitting the floor of the empty car.

She catches her breath. Coughing.

Falls back against the wall of the car. A moment. She smiles. Then she begins to laugh. She laughs harder.

And against the gentle lull and rhythm of the train, she falls asleep.

FADE OUT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next week, Part 4: Her Alone.


	4. Part 4: Her Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After escaping Ben, Rey tries to make her way back to safety.

FADE IN.

**EXT. VALLEY - DAY**

The train glides through the tracks, past green mountains in an open valley.

**EXT. WELL CAR - CONTINUOUS**

Rey sits cross-legged in the car, holding the journal. Now it’s weathered, battered, bruised, wet. Carefully, she opens the pages.

She moves through the pages one by one with her thumb and index, looking through the ruined contents.

She closes the book. Turns it over. Looks at it. Opens it from the back, turns the pages with the same slow, delicate touch.

Diary entries, labelled with dates at the top, the ink running slightly, but still largely readable. She stops on one particular entry. Dated “24th June, 1981”

As her eyes bounce from left to right, we FADE INTO a faded-colour vision:

MONTAGE

Qui-Gon Jinn clacks away at a typewriter in his study, this time clean and orderly. His young daughter wanders in, beaming. He embraces her.

FADE INTO:

Qui-Gon reads in the dark under a desk lamp, surrounded by books. In the doorway, his wife watches him, wearing a nightgown.

FADE INTO:

His finger traces over a map.

FADE INTO:

He traverses a dense forest

FADE INTO:

Hiking up a steep hill.

FADE INTO:

He digs with his bare hands. Pulls out something, glowing. We don’t see what, but he’s in awe of it.

FADE INTO:

Dirty but euphoric, he runs back to his house, his daughter greets him happily, his wife less so, frowning under the porch.

FADE INTO:

Wearing special inspecting glasses, he examines the item, off-screen. A lurid smile.

FADE INTO:

Qui-Gon lies in bed with his wife, staring at the mysterious glowing item, obsessively. Ignoring his wife.

FADE INTO:

Qui-Gon’s wife appears to SCREAM at him across the breakfast table, he’s giving as good as he’s getting.

FADE INTO:

She runs into his study, starts throwing books around. Angry, he pushes her, which knocks over the framed photo of them, it SHATTERS as it hits the ground.

FADE INTO:

His wife, carrying his daughter, walk out to the car, he follows behind, enraged, his eyes blank, mad. He THROWS a punch.

A small hand falls to the floor.

FADE INTO:

HE SCREAMS at the sky in agony.

FADE INTO:

He clenches his fists. Blood oozes out from it.

FADE INTO:

He takes off in his car.

FADE INTO:

Journeying across Badlands.

FADE INTO:

Into a forest.

FADE INTO:

Up through the dense trees.

FADE INTO:

A cave. He enters.

FADE INTO:

He drives off.

FADE INTO:

Placing the journal in a chest, one we’ve seen before…

FADE INTO:

As he places it behind a tile on the roof of the church.

FADE INTO:

Face pained and tired, Qui-Gon wanders away.

FADE INTO:

Rey, perturbed by the events she just read.

She turns more pages, more and more. She stops halfway through a page turn, her eyes wide with shock.

The entry, dated “7th November, 1985” reads “I PRAY IT WILL NEVER CAUSE SO MUCH PAIN AGAIN”.

Further down the page, a bare-bones sketch, almost abstract, of a stream under an archway. She squints, scanning it.

Her eyes droop some more, she blinks, trying to keep herself awake. She closes the journal, tries to stand up amidst the swaying of the car.

She turns around.

**BEN** PUSHES her down to the floor, she can’t react in time as he pounces onto her, begins to strangle her, she struggles and goes for wild hay-makers, hits him in the eyes, ELBOWS him in the ear, he falls off.

She struggles up and without hesitation, climbs over the wall of the car.

**EXT. SLOPE - CONTINUOUS**

Rolling, TUMBLING down a muddy slope, spinning, spinning.

Until she STOPS. Out cold, face and body covered in mud.

CUT TO BLACK

FADE IN

The sound of rain grows louder as droplets fall onto her face, waking her up to another overcast sky.

She panics and sits up, desperately looking around. She calms down soon enough when she realises how alone she is.

Instead, there is only dense forest for miles, foliage so thick that what light there is is struggling to gasp through.

She stands up. WINCES, and falls over.

**REY**  
Shit.

She hisses in pain, tightly clutching her ankle. Sits up again, examines it. Bruised, a little twisted.

Taking her time. After silently counting to three, she pushes herself up. Scans the thick woods ahead. She pats her back trouser pocket. A moment of realisation.

She feels her pockets, looks around.

INSERT: Blue journal, shaking on the floor of the well car.

She closes her eyes, a deep breath. She opens them again, and faces the walk ahead.

One step at a time, she moves forward.

**EXT. THICK FOREST - DAY**

WIDE on Rey, walking up a pathway. Going as fast as she can, as slow as it needs to be. Each step stings, but this journey won’t walk itself.

CUT TO:

The path gets wetter and muddier. As she approaches a muddy slope, she slows down, observes it, wary. She moves towards it, steps up. All going well, if a little uneasy.

She slowly places her good foot on a rock platform, it wobbles and FALLS, she SLIPS and slides down the mud, wincing in greater pain.

**REY**  
Fuck…

Looks at the slope again. She crawls up it, digging her hands into the mud and dirt.

Persisting.

CUT TO:

A rock wall, only slightly higher than her.

Face right up against it, examining the walls. She looks up. Sticks her hand in a hold. Lifts herself up, placing her good foot on a ledge.

Looks around, finds another, much smaller ledge. She looks down at her foot, swelling. She closes her eyes, places the foot on the ledge, the pain washing over her.

She PUSHES up on it enough to grab the top ledge, PULLS with both hands. Her good foot jumps up, scrambling up the wall.

She DIGS her hands into the ground, resisting, pulling harder.

She crawls her way up, exhausted. Looks at her bad foot. Getting worse.

CUT TO:

She brushes thick bushes out the way, careful to not step on anything that isn’t stuck to the floor.

She leans up against a tree, taking a breather. Listens to the gentle patter of rainfall on leaves.

Interrupted by a low hum. This soon turns into a growl. Freezes, slowly looks up, around. Nothing.

Another growl, like a slow chainsaw. She peers around the tree, still nothing. Yet the growl floats through the trees and branches.

She decides to make a runner, hobbling along. The growl SNARLS, prompting her to go faster, pushing the pain in her ankle to white hot.

It seems to get louder, she coughs, but thinks only of safety. Another SNARL, she dives onto the floor, crawls into a hollow trunk. She waits, breathless.

Quiet. She crawls out, expecting anything, any second. As she falls out the trunk, she convulses, VOMITS. Coughs the rest out. Gritting her teeth, she looks up.

The silence is eerie.

CUT TO:

A river, flowing fast. Rey eases herself onto her knees and devours the water like an addict, not so much drinking it as splashing it right into her mouth.

She dunks her head into the water.

Underneath, the only sound is the rushing current. It sounds like white noise. She washes the mud off her face.

She gets her head out of the water, wiping her face. Something catches her eye.

On the other side of the river, dense bushes and foliage. But behind it, a sort of natural rock archway.

She stands up, steps back. Makes a frame with her thumbs and forefingers.

The sketch in the journal FLASHES on-screen, identical to the frame we see before us. Rey half-smiles. Glances down at the strong currents.

Takes a deep breath. Approaches the river bank, gets down. Eases herself into the water, but holds onto the bank as the water begins to push her.

Assesses the distance to the other side, her objective.

She positions herself to face it. PUSHES herself off, but the current pushes her further down, she turns back around, takes hold of a branch hanging from the bank. Pulls herself back onto the bank.

She stands up. Eyes fixed on the rock archway on the other side, she walks back to and past her starting point.

She observes the current. Lowers herself in, holding onto the bank. Gets ready to push herself off. LAUNCHES herself, swimming as the current drags her, flipping with her arms and good leg.

She winces as she tries to force her bad foot to swim, clutches it, stuck right in the middle of the river. She gets back into position, thrusts herself forward and butterflies her way to the bank, digging her fingers into it.

She takes a second to witness this first of many victories. She drags herself up from the river. She looks up, and walks over to the foliage.

Pushes it gently out the way, brushes past it.

**INT. CAVE - CONTINUOUS**

Small, empty. Lit by the outside. Soft moist dirt on the ground. She collapses onto it.

Lets her hand drift through it.

Stops, swipes her hand left and right. Struggles up to her knees as she scrambles around the dirt for…

A pebble. Large. She picks it up, dusts it off.

Shaped like a tear.

Her breathing speeds up. Her face tenses, jaw clenches.

She SHOOTS the pebble at the wall.

**REY**  
Damn you!

She throws the stone again.

**REY**  
Damn you!

She takes it, DRAGS it down the wall, leaving marks.

**REY**  
Damn, you!

THROWS it away, it bounces off the wall. Not much damage seems to have been accomplished.

She dives, snatches it up again, tightening it in her fist, as if attempting to crush it, so angry she clenches her eyes shut.

And then she relaxes.

She looks down. Feels her ankle. It’s not sprained, unswollen, it's actually completely fine. Flexes it, no pain. Stands herself up slowly. Paces up and down. No problem.

She looks at the stone. It emanates a small glow.

Holds it against her chest.

**REY**  
(softly)  
Thank you.

Confidently, she walks out of the cave. No fear in her steps.

**EXT. FOREST - DAY**

She navigates down the mountain with her new found strength and confidence. Her fist closed tight.

She jumps, slides down a steep part, lands on a pile of dead leaves and gets back up with no issue.

She clambers up a tree with impressive agility, looks over a branch, scouts her path ahead in the dense forest. Squints.

A racoon lies down in the mud and dead leaves, it’s leg twitching.

She slides down the tree and jogs over to it, kneels down. The creature squeaks pathetically as it bleeds from its stomach.

She watches it, melancholic. Feeling pity for it.

She places her hand on its stomach, the blood pouring out onto it and through her fingers, but it doesn’t faze her.

A moment. She removes her hand, revealing the absence of the wound.

The racoon jumps back up. Looks up at Rey. She looks back, smiles.

It scuttles away. She watches it go.

CUT TO:

She wades through dead leaves, thick like a swamp. Looks ahead. A beaten path.

CUT TO:

She walks down the beaten path.

In the distance, an opening within the trees reveal a natural exit from the forest, sun beaming through.

She marches towards it, ready.

**EXT. WHEAT FIELD - CONTINUOUS**

Bright sun and blue sky. For miles and miles, wheat sways in the gentle breeze, which also flies through her hair.

She strides through it, dragging her hands over them.

**EXT. BADLANDS - DAY**

Dry as a bone. Hands in her pockets as she traverses.

CUT TO:

Bumpier territory. A small hill, with a rock.

She hikes up it, sits herself on the rock. Waits.

CUT TO:

The sun scorches, she sweats. But this also doesn’t faze her.

It darkens. She looks up. Overcast covers the sun.

She stands up, observes ahead.

A figure, approaching. That ragged denim jacket, that unkempt hair… that vengeful face.

Ben hikes up the hill, a few yards away from her. She looks him up and down.

**REY**  
Are you real?

**BEN**  
I always was.

He takes heavy stops forward, Rey steps forward, holding the stone up for him to see.

**REY**  
You stay there.

Shocked.

**BEN**  
How… how did you find it?

**REY**  
It found me.

He scoffs. Holds his hand out.

**BEN**  
Give it here.

**REY**  
Why?

**BEN**  
You’re not safe right now. It’ll eat you up from the inside.

She smiles. Shakes her head.

**REY**  
It hasn’t. It hasn’t at all. If anything, I feel… better. I feel refilled, after you ate me up inside... you freak.

**BEN**  
Ate you up? I protected you, you run away, then you blame it on me?! You… that's low. How dare you. How DARE you!

**REY**  
What don’t you understand?! You locked me away!

**BEN**  
To protect you!

Her nostrils flare up.

**REY**  
I am fucking sick and tired of hearing that. You’re not noble, you’re not selfless. If you cared so much for me, you wouldn’t have put me through pain. You wouldn’t have made me fear for my life. You don’t care about me, you would rather just put me through fear than put yourself through loss.

His stare is blank and steely. But inside he’s shaken.

**BEN**  
We were meant to be together.  
(pause)  
Come with me now. Or I will make you.

She just watches him. Takes a deep breath. Brings the stone close to herself.

**REY**  
(whispers)  
I’m sorry.

She holds it out again. Ben screws his eyes.

**BEN**  
(pushing)  
Make your choice, Rey.

She curls her fingers around the stone, hugging it tightly in her fist. He watches.

**BEN**  
Rey… what are you...

She clenches. Harder.

His eyes widen. He WINCES as pain shoots through his body.

**BEN**  
Arrgh!

She clenches harder, grimacing, enjoying Ben’s pain. His body twists, crackles, he SCREAMS as he struggles to stand up.

She unclenches her fist. Dust falls out.

Ben collapses, clutching his chest where his heart is. He pushes himself up to his knees. Shaking.

He lifts his head up to look at her.

He watches her march up to him, towering above him. To her, his eyes are sad and small, like a stray, beaten puppy.

She leans in.

**REY**  
I want you to know something, Ben. I am clean. I am clear. I forgive you.  
(she leans back)  
Now you have to do the same for yourself.

Ben trembles. He gets up, shuffles away. Coughing, hugging himself. A tall, powerful man reduced to a sickly appearance.

**REY**  
Hey!

He turns around, fear in his eyes.

**REY**  
If I were you… which I'm glad I'm not… I would be the one trying not to get shot this time.

He stares for a long time.

Turns back, runs away.

She watches him. No smile, no tears. Indifference.

**INT. HIGHWAY - DAY**

Rey hikes down the side of the road. A single car swooshes by, but she doesn’t pay attention.

The road and badlands GLOW with sunlight as the clouds move out of the way.

She stops to look up, before getting back to her journey.

**EXT. WELL CAR - DAY**

The blue journal, ruined beaten up, sits in the well car. A worker with a hard hat peeks into the car. Hops in, picks it up.

Opens it. Perplexed.

**EXT. STREET - DAY**

Ben lies under a blanket under a porch, wide awake and shaking. It’s raining.

**EXT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - DAY**

She knocks on the door on a familiar porch.

Beat. Luke answers, wearing a stain vest. Hair a few inches too long, stubble verging on beard. Looking less like a religious authority and more like an abandoned country singer.

And his surprise and shock hang in the air. He smiles. Soon, the smile turns to uncontrollable tears. He goes to embrace her, she catches him. Over his shoulder, she looks in through the doorway, at the house now cluttered with papers and empty bottles.

She rubs his back.

**LUKE**  
(muffled)  
I’m so, so, so sorry. I’m so sorry.

She nods. Pats his back.

**INT. SKYWALKER HOUSE - DAY**

Rey finishes a sip of her coffee, before putting the mug down.

**REY**  
...and then, I made my way back here.

Luke watches her. Exhausted, but heartbroken.

**LUKE**  
If I had any tears left...

**REY**  
It's okay.

**LUKE**  
It’s not. If I think of how afraid and alone you were...

**REY**  
No, really. It's okay. It’s over. I won’t ever see him again.

**LUKE**  
A week or so ago I would have said you shouldn’t have run off with him. But we all know that I’d scared you away. No one willingly walks into a fire, unless they’re chased into one.

She gives Luke a quiet, somber look. She understands.

**REY**  
Dad.

**LUKE**  
I think I know what you’re gonna ask.  
(pause)  
Go on.

**REY**  
What happened with mum?

A moment. Luke looks down at the table. Thinking.

**LUKE**  
It was a Sunday. A few hours after the service. We’d had an argument over something I had said. I didn’t want to apologise. And I didn’t want to talk to her. So we ate lunch in silence. You were there of course, blissfully oblivious as all five year olds are. After lunch I storm upstairs. I think you were in your room...thank god. I stayed there, in my room, hoping the storm would pass, and we could just ignore it. I didn’t go down to apologise, I just... waited.  
(pause)  
Then... two shots. Three seconds apart. I know that because those sounds have played on a loop ever since. I hear one bullet, then three seconds later, another. Every minute of every day.  
(deep breath)  
I go downstairs. The door is broken in, there’s a mess, and there she is. I don't even know what to do. I just...stay there with her. And say nothing.  
(pause. They look at each other)  
Sherriff Miller eventually got a hold of the guy that did it. Some guy from the other town. We asked him why he did it.

Rey watches him sadly. She already knows the answer to her next question.

**REY**  
Why did he do it?

**LUKE**  
...He didn’t know.

A long pause.

**REY**  
I never thought it would have such a simple explanation. Especially after you refused to answer it for so long.

**LUKE**  
I did always avoid that question. But it’s not because of what happened. But because I couldn’t bear that recurring thought, that there was no afterlife for her to go to.  
(low voice)  
It’s the least she deserves.

She reaches over, gently placing her hand on his. He looks up at her.

**REY**  
I know she’s up there. And I know she’s okay. I’ve never been more certain.

Luke’s eyes glint with hope.

Rey smiles at him.

**EXT. FURNITURE SHOP - DAY**

The shop banner reads “HARVEY & CO. FURNITURE AND FITTINGS”. On the shop window, a sign reading “BUILDERS WANTED”.

Rey wanders in.

**INT. FURNITURE SHOP - DAY**

A screw is DRILLED into a wooden chair, connecting the backrest and the stool. She grabs the backrest, tests it. Solid.

She sits on her creation. Reaches over to the desk to open a bottle of beer, rips the cap off with her bare hands, no hassle or injury. Has a great big drink of it, she’s earned it.

She sets it back down. She stares out the window, the big blue sky, clouds drifting along.

She glances at the bottle. The glance turns into a stare.

The bottle drifts along the table, just an inch.

She smiles.

BOSS (O.S.)  
Rey! We need you over here.

**REY**  
Coming right over.

She stands up, and strolls away to her next task.

CLOSE IN on the bottle.

**EXT. FIELD - DAY**

Green grass and blue sky. The image of peace.

FADE OUT.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading Angel’s Tear. I’d be curious to hear what you thought of it.
> 
> Confession time, this was actually a screenplay I wrote a few years ago, that I decided to imbue with a second life and turn into a Star Wars fic. Next week, we’ll be looking at the history of the story, how it came to be, and most importantly, how I could have improved it, which I hope will end up useful for you guys at least.


	5. APPENDIX: Post-Mortem

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A look back at the creation, history, and writing process behind Angel's Tear, and what I would do differently now.

If you've made it this far, then first of all I'd like to say thank you for reading all the way through. I hope you found enjoyment in it, and I hope you found enough enjoyment to give it some Kudos and a comment! If you felt a bit disappointed by the work in any way, I completely understand.

Consider this chapter a commentary track or a post-mortem. This piece did not start out as Reylo fanfiction destined for AO3. I wrote this script back in 2017 for my MA in Screenwriting. I recently dug it up, and while I'm not happy with most of it (as will soon be clear) I had enough fondness for it that I didn't want to just let it go to waste. So I reworked some of the dialogue, cleaned up the prose (somewhat), and re-skinned it as a Reylo fic. Funnily enough, the realisation that the script would suit Reylo was the decisive factor in my digging it back up again. Aside from this fixes, this is largely unchanged from when I submitted it as my final piece. The main reason I want to write this is just to help other writers by openly sharing my process. I want to think i'm distant enough from it that I can be objective, but not so distant that I've forgotten everything.

Some context: Around late 2015, during my undergrad, I discovered that my friend, who was also my coursemate and housemate, was psychologically abusing his girlfriend. What followed was a terrifying whirlwind of events, which thankfully concluded with said girlfriend eventually being able to leave him. This was before I started my Masters, and I when it came time to choose a project decided I wanted to explore this relationship, and this character, who so needed love he would, in a twisted sense, fight for it. I also felt it would be a fairly straightforward story to get started with, nothing too ambitious, just pure emotion and character (sweet summer child etc etc)

The first version of the story was virtually an adaptation of real life events, with names changed and so forth. But everyone in the screenwriting class had the same concern, namely that it's not clear why she doesn't leave earlier. This was my first lesson. The only answer I had was ‘because she didn’t in real life’. Except that’s a fallacy. There are many reasons why someone wouldn’t leave an abusive relationship in real life. In a story, the motivations have to be clearer and also more compelling. Life is stranger than fiction, but fiction has to be moulded to seem as believable as life (your audience will accept all the magic and technology you throw at them, but give them characters with flimsy motivations in non-situations and you’ve lost them). So out of spite, I decided to add a twist.

I made him a GOD!

Except, while that took care of the ‘why doesn’t she leave’ question, it created a new dilemma in the process. Namely, he was now too powerful, which effectively removed any drama, because now she can’t do anything to him. What could she possibly do to make it out alive? This, ironically, made it so that there could be no drama again. Like a drama horseshoe, I went from one end to the other and ended up where I started. Off the top of my head, I realise now it would be a far more interesting premise if she was a goddess who was emotionally subdued by a human. If you want to write that, be my guest, I don’t care for this kind of story anymore. Just let me know when you do, i’d be curious to read it!

I tried to counteract this by making him an angel, specifically a half-angel (showing my Devil May Cry appreciation here). Then draft after draft I tried to streamline the theme and the story and the characters, but deep down I knew I never really knew what I was doing or where I was going. By this point I'd already decided to set this new, more theological version of the story in Montana. If I remember correctly I was bored of the UK setting, but I'd also felt that if we're going to explore something theologically deeper, it might be interesting to set it in a setting that was both more natural and religious. The main difference between this draft and the last was the amount of characters. In this version 'Rey' had a whole entourage of buddies, one of which suffers a rather unfortunate fate at the hands of 'Ben'. None of these characters contributed much of anything to the overall story, they were more my attempt to add 'texture'. So out they went. 

The next draft was more streamlined wand more 'psychological' but I just remember it being rushed as hell and really boring.

The 3rd draft was almost my final one, and took a lot of inspiration from films like Badlands and Logan. It had a LOT of stuff happening, including a whole subplot with the protagonists coming up against an abusive husband who kidnaps his own kids, and a town being under siege by terrorists (The Montana-set Far Cry 5 had just been announced then, can you tell?) I think this was my personal favourite version, but I agreed with my fellow writers that there was too much stuff going on. One friend in my class said it was trying to be 5 different films at once, and I can’t say he was wrong.

One problem that all these drafts had was that they were basically aimless. 'Rey' (i'm going to stop the quotation marks now) goes with a handsome fella on a road trip, but there's no North Star for the film or the characters to follow, so it's difficult to engage with the characters, because it's not clear what they want either. My last attempt at a saving throw for the final draft was to throw in a treasure hunt of sorts, something that was valuable to the protagonist and something that he needed. Thus I came up with the Angel's Tear. Looking back this is an extremely shoddy macguffin, because it's not clear what it does, what it is, why he needs it, what happens if he doesn't get it, etc. It's also shoddy because it's something HE wants, not something SHE wants. The stone itself could easily be a macguffin she wants to chase, but the motivation for doing so should have been set up (maybe she doesn't want it falling into the wrong hands, or maybe it's personally valuable to her too, idk right now lol). Even better would have been to make something that meant a lot to her character, both personally and thematically. 

The other issue is that it's not even clear what she wants. I gave her this personality that was supposed to be impulsive and innocent, marred by anger. This is, to say the least, a condescending way of creating a character. Does she go with Ben because she likes him? or because he's edgy and hot and powerful? Does she go with him because she wants to go with him or because she wants to leave her suffocating home?

The other huge issue is that it doesn't succeed as either an adventure treasure hunt movie or as a psychological thriller. Both elements are extremely undercooked. The final script came to I think about 85-90 pages which is far too short for a project with certain ambitions as this. If the whole thing felt extremely rushed, it's because it was. I still can't believe the final act is just Rey wandering the woods and she HAPPENS to come across the Angel's Tear, which HAPPENS to give her powers, or at least enough powers that she can defeat Ben but also not really defeat him, just humiliate him. 

I still don't think that final confrontation was earned. I wrote it as "she used to get treated badly now she gets to tell him to go fuck himself", but I should have written it from a point of view of self-actualisation and self-fulfilment. Besides, I really could have made it more interesting.

The whole script could have been more eventful and more interesting, but part of the reason it's so low-key is that I had tried to write it as a relatively cheap indie film (I watched a trailer for the Hungarian western Mirage by Szabolcs Hajdu, it had a peculiar vibe which I wanted to emulate). I don't think there's anything wrong with writing with specific limits in mind, but I can't say I put them to best use. It might have worked if I was a stronger character builder. But even so, the whole premise needed reworking from the ground up.

At the end of it all, my screenwriting professor, who I still greatly admire and respect, gave it a very fair 57 out of 100. This is what he wrote, unedited (and featuring the original character names):

Naomi, the rebellious daughter of a small town preacher, meets an enigmatic stranger, Cane, who is on a quest to find a stone called the ‘Angel’s Tear’, and who seems to have the power to heal any injury. When Naomi’s over-controlling father tries to punish her for seeing him, Naomi escapes with Cane to join him on his quest. However, it isn’t long before Naomi discovers that he is a lot more possessive and violent than her father could ever be.   
I liked the tone and epic reach of this story which is told in a spare writing style with a simple and bold storyline that leaves plenty of room for the imaginative scenes to resonate. The setting also brings some atmosphere, although there is a sense that it is quite broadly drawn, borrowing heavily from other movies – ‘No Country for Old Men’ comes to mind here.   
While the story is compelling and easy to read, there are some odd shifts in tone and pace, for instance between the small, personal drama of the opening, and then the quest narrative, which starts to feel more like an action adventure when Naomi finds herself kidnapped by the evil Travis. More abrupt still is Cane’s transformation from nice guy, to psycho captor, who imprisons Naomi in a cave supposedly to keep her safe.   
It would be worth looking in more detail at the steps in this transformation, and looking at ways to make Cane’s psychology and rationale feel more organic to the situation. For example, in the scene where Travis suddenly becomes too rough with Naomi in bed, it is not clear exactly why this happens except that it is some kind of ‘inner nature’ coming out. I’d suggest instead that it might be more interesting, or at least more psychologically accessible, if there was a stronger implication that the character was actually acting out some kind of inner conflict, perhaps, for example, riven by unacknowledged guilt over the fact that he has just killed Travis. This may be already be the idea, but if so, it’s not coming across in a clear way.   
Naomi’s reaction to this experience also seems quite abrupt, as she quickly sneaks off to phone her father despite the fact that she has just run away from him. I’d suggest that a slower burn story might be more tense and more powerful, for instance one in which the signs of Cane’s dysfunction only start to emerge gradually, and where Naomi is slowly forced to reconcile herself to the fact that her act of independence is turning against her.   
I’d also like to see Cane give us a stronger, more credible justification for his actions, particularly his decision to lock her in the cave. Currently he says that he needs to protect her because she can’t protect her from herself, but doesn’t say exactly where the threat lies. If some of Travis’s men were still on the case, then this might give him the (semi)plausible rationalisation that he needs. As it is, he just appears insane.   
The subsequent action where Naomi struggles to escape from him is well-handled and tense. The ending where she crushes the stone feels a little bit like a deus ex machina - how does she know that she can do that? Nevertheless, the revelation that she has now absorbed the powers is quite satisfying.   
While, the script benefits in some ways from the spareness of its execution - the fact that it doesn’t try too hard to explain what Cane is, or the origin of the Angels’ Tear – there is ultimately a sense of disconnectedness from the characters and the psychology behind their actions, which sometimes leaves them feeling like archetypes rather than fleshed out individuals. 

  
I look back and these are all completely accurate. There’s no real sense of study or examination of these people, just rushing, rushing to make sense of it. I briefly considered re-writing the script one more time. I decided against it, save for extending a few scenes and adding some things here and there. I don’t have time, and besides, the past is usually best left in the past.

As a fic, I'm sure it doesn't quite work as well as it could, because the self-imposed limits mean that the premise isn't really fully explored. I think the general idea could be there, but it would really shine if I leaned into the actual characters of Rey and Ben, as well as built this world of angels a bit more (also, huge missed opportunity with force-like powers). A part of me is tempted to re-write this to really explore its potential, always as a film script of course. With that said, if you like the premise but are dissatisfied with the result and want to give it a go yourself, leave a comment, I'd be thrilled to see what people can do with this.

To finish, I’ve decided to try and use this experience to help aspiring writers, of fan-fiction or otherwise. Here is a list of things I would have done differently in hindsight.

1\. I would have made time to explore the theme, what I would have wanted to say.  
2\. I would have then used this to make characters that represent different sides of the theme.  
3\. I would have explored their backstories but also the wider world at large. It doesn’t need to be on-screen always, but if you don’t know it, the audience will be able to tell (this refers to both literal geography and also the lore and rules of fantasy).  
4\. Just to add to this, Montana is literally so beautiful, I would have made more use of the setting.  
5\. Also show different kinds of dangers. How would ‘Ben’ react towards cops, corrupt or otherwise? What about a vicious animal attack? Biker gang alone isn’t going to quite cut it.  
6\. If I was going to re-write it, I would not worry about budgets or limits, I would only think about making the best story possible.  
7\. Also I wouldn’t think so much about length, though I have to admit that having self-imposed limits (in this case, the 120-ish pages usually expected from a screenplay) can be a really fun and interesting creative challenge.

And to finish, here are a handful of screenwriting maxims I wrote for myself during that period of my life, maxims which I don’t go back to enough:

1\. Don’t be boring (if nothing else, at least this).  
2\. Stories are about change (even the lack of change is in itself a statement)  
3\. It’s all driven by intention (desire) and obstacle (either someone, society, or self).  
4\. The audience doesn’t need to know. The audience needs to wonder (The question is far more interesting and far more impactful than the answer)  
5\. There is a beginning, there is a middle, there is an end.  
6\. Always ask yourself, what is the cause of each effect?  
7\. Show, don’t tell (with specific exceptions).  
8\. Everything has a purpose (all the elements work in service of the story)  
9\. Be efficient (get your point across ASAP, whether it’s a scene or the whole film) [“A widely renowned writer once told me his trick to knowing when a scene is complete. It is when if he removes one additional word, the scene no longer makes sense.”]  
10\. Write the movie you’d pay to go see.  
11\. Nobody gives a shit about anything but the DRAMA/STORY. (Just to elaborate here, this is taken from the commentary track of David Fincher’s The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo. He describes how he had a shot that revealed a rifle missing from a rifle cabinet, but he cut it because he just thought “who gives a shit?” It’s a very sobering way of saying to not get lost in the details, focus on the conflict of the scene.)  
12\. Tease the audience with a setup, then reward them with an unpredictable but appropriate payoff.  
13\. Make life hard for your characters (so as to make them reveal their true selves)  
14\. At the end of the day, the story needs to be simple (premise should be 25 words or less)  
15\. Just write the damn thing (don’t overthink it)  
16\. Now do it again, but leaner (writing is rewriting, also see number 9)

Thank you once again for joining me. Safe travels and happy writing!


End file.
